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WASHINGTON 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


A  Visit  to  Our  National  Capitol 


CONDUCTED  BY 

RUFUS    ROCKWELL    WILSON 

Author  of  "  Washington ,   the   Capital  City" 
<<New    York,    Old  and  New,"   etc. 

INTRODUCTION  BY 

HON.    GALUSHA    A.    GROW 

Ex-Speaker  of  Congress 


(See  Pocket  in  Back  Cover  for  Five  Patent   Mapi) 


UNDERWOOD 

& 

UNDERWOOD 

New   York 

London 

Ottawa,    Kansas 

Toronto,   Canada 

San   Francisco,   California 

Bombay,  India 

COPYRIGHT,  1904, 

By  UNDERWOOD  &  UNDERWOOD 

New  York  and  London 

(entered  at  stationers'  hall) 


Stereographs  copyrighted  in  the  United  States  and 
foreign  countries 


MAP  SYSTEM 
Patented  in  the  United  States,  August  21, 1900 
Patented  in  Great  Britain,  March  22, 1900 
Patentee}  in  France,  March  26, 1900.    S.G.D.G. 
Switzerland,  Patent  Number  21,211 


AU  rights  reserved 


COISTTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction 7 

Author's  Preface 9 

The  Story  of  Washington 12 

How  to  See  Washington  through  the  Stereoscope     .  34 


STANDPOINTS   IN   WASHINGTON. 

1  The  Center  of  the  Nation's  life— Washington  N.  N.  W. 

across  E.  branch  of  river  to  the  Capitol,  U.  S.  A  .        .     36 

2  Washington  E.  from  Arlington,  across  the  Potomac — the 

Monument,  Capitol  and  Library  in  sight,  U.  S,  A  .     39 

3  From   State   Department   S.    over    Executive    Grounds, 

Monument  and  Potomac  River,  Washington,  U.  S.  A  .     40 

4  From  Washington    Monument    N.,    the  White    House, 

Treasury  and  State  Department,  Washington,  U.  S.  A.     44 

5  From  Washington  Monument  S.,  along  the  Wharves  and 

the  Potomac  River,  Washington,  U.  S.  A     .         .         .46 

6  From  Washington  Monument  N.  E.,  past  General  Post 

Office  and  other  Government  Buildings,  Washington, 

U.  S.  A 49 

7  From    Washington    Monument    E.,    over    Agricultural 

Grounds  to  the  Capitol,  Washington,  U.  S.  A     .        .60 

8  United  States  Capitol   from  the  N.  E. — most  beautiful 

building  in  America,  Washington,  LT.  S.  A  .         .         .     66 

9  President   McKinley  delivering   his   Inaugural  Address, 

March  4,  1897,  Washington,  U.  S.  A  .        .         .        .70 

10  The  Supreme  Moment  :  Chief  Justice  Fuller  administer- 

ing the  Oath  to  President  McKinley,  March  4,  1901     .     72 

11  A  Touching  Tribute  to  McKinley's  Memory—  Secretary 

Hay's  Eulogy  before  Congress,  Washington,  U.  S.  A    .     75 

12  Senate  Chamber,  U.  S.  Capitol,  scene  of  some  of  the  most 

famous  debates  in  American  history      .        .        .        .79 


4  CONTENTS 

PAQS 

13  Supreme  Court  Room   in  the  Capitol — Chair   of   Chief 

Justice  before  arch;  Washington,  U.  S.  A    .         .         .83 

14  The    magnificent     new     Congressional     Library  —  most 

spacious  of  book  repositories — Washington,  U.  S.  A     .     88 

15  Decorative  Splendors  of  the  Entrance  Hall  of  the  Great 

Congressional  Library,  Washington,  U.  S.  A        .         .91 

16  Grand  Staircase,  Library  of  Congress,  Washington,  D. 

C,  U.  S.A 91 

17  From  the  Dome  of  the  Capitol  W.,  down  Pennsylvania 

Ave.  to  the  Post  Office  and  over  the  Mall,  Washington, 
U.  S.  A 92 

18  The  White  House — the  historic  residence  of  the  Nation's 

Chief— north  front,  Washington,  U.  S.  A      .        .        .96 

19  East    Room,   where    Presidential    Receptions    are    held 

(North  toward  front),  White  House,  Washington,  U. 
S.  A  101 

20  Dignified  Beauty  of  the  State  Dining  Room,  in  the  White 

House  (facing  W.  wall),  Washington,  U.  S.  A       .         .  104 

21  President   Theodore   Roosevelt   in    the    Cabinet    Room, 

White  House,  Washington,  U.  S.  A       .        .         .         .106 

22  Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt  at  home  in  the  White  House, 

Washington,  U.  S.  A 114 

23  Charming  Northern  Outlook  over  Lafayette  Square,  from 

the  President's  home,  Washington,  U.  S.  A  .         .         .116 

24  Admiral  Dewey  and  Officers  of  the  Navy,  New  Year  Re- 

ception, 1902,  White  House,  Washington,  U.  S.  A        .  120 

25  State,  War  and  Navy  Building,  where  national  business 

of  vast  importance  goes  on,  Washington,  U.  S.  A         .  121 

26  Diplomatic  Room,  State    Department — for    conferences 

with  representatives  of  Foreign  Governments,  Wash- 
ington, U.  S.  A 126 

27  Diplomats  and  Other  Distinguished  Guests  at  a  Recep- 

tion—the White  House,  Washington,  U.  S.  A       .         .  130 

28  From  Navy  Department  S.E.,  past  the  White  House  and 

Treasury,  to  the  Capitol,  Washington,  U.  S.  A      .         .  132 

29  Pennsvlvania   Avenue  from   the    Treasurv  S.E.,   to  the 

United  States  Capitol,  Washington,  D.  C      .         .         .  133 

30  U.  S.  Treasury  Building  (S.    front)   guarding   millions 

upon  millions  in  coin  and  notes,  Washington,  U.  S.  A.  134 

31  Fruits  of  the  Sunny  South  and  their  buyers  in  famous 

old  Centre  Market,  Washington,  U.  S.  A      .         .        .  144 

32  U.  S.  Patent  Office  where  fortunes  have  been  secured  to 

inventors,  Washington,  U.  S.  A    .        ,        .        .        .  146 


CONTENTS  5 

PAQB 

33  Massachusetts  Avenue  (W.  from  Thomas  Circle)  favorite 

center  of  fashionable  society,  Washington,  U.  S.  A      .  151 

34  Homes  of  the  most  distinguished  residents,  Massachusetts 

Avenue  (W.  from  Scott  Circle),  Washington,  U.  S.  A  .  153 

35  Peace  and  sunshine  at  the  Soldier's  Home  for  war-worn 

veterans,  Washington,  U.  S.  A 158 

36  Inspiring  outlook  from  the  President's  south  windows  to 

the  lofty  monument,  Washington,  U.  S.  A    .         .         .  160 


IN   THE   ENVIRONS    OF   WASHINGTON. 

(a)  General  Robert  E.  Lee's  old  home,  Arlington,  Va  .         .  161 

(b)  National  Cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  U.  S.  A   .        .         .162 

(c)  Ravine  at  Bladensburg,  Md. ,  famed  for  fatal  duels,  near 

scene  of  British  victory,  1814 163 

(d)  Christ    Church,    where    Washington    joined    with    his 

neighbors  in  public  worship,  Alexandria,  Va         .        .166 

(e)  Home  of  Washington,  preserved  in  memory  of  the  Re- 

public's founder,  Mount  Vernon,  Va     .        .        .         .167 

(f)  Tomb  of  America's    greatest    citizen,    Washington,   at 

Mount  Vernon,  Va 170 


MAPS. 

All  bound  in  Booklet  at  the  end  of  this  Volume. 

1  Washington  and  vicinity. 

2  Washington,  giving  also  sketch  map  of  the  United  States  in 

one  corner. 

3  Floor  Plan  of  the  principal  story  of  the  Capitol. 

4  The  White  House  and  vicinity. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Research  Library,  The  Getty  Research  Institute 


http://www.archive.org/details/throughthestereoOOwils 


mTEODUOTION 

I  have  derived  both  profit  and  enjoyment  from 
"  Washington  Through  the  Stereoscope,"  and  I  shall 
keep  it  conveniently  at  hand  for  constant  use  and 
reference.  I  have  long  been  aware  that  stereo- 
graphs, properly  used,  give  the  same  impressions, 
convey  the  same  ideas  and  awaken  the  same  emo- 
tions that  would  come  to  one  in  the  presence  of  actual 
places;  but  never  have  I  found  this  so  strikingly 
true  as  in  the  case  of  Washington.  With  the  ad- 
mirably devised  maps  to  show  me  exactly  where  I 
take  each  standpoint,  the  direction  in  which  I  am 
looking,  and  the  distance  over  which  my  eyes  are 
ranging,  and  with  Mr.  Wilson's  accurate  and  ade- 
quate comments  as  I  stand  in  one  place  after  an- 
other, I  find  I  am  able  to  visit  Washington  and  recall 
a  thousand  moving  and  inspiring  associations  without 
leaving  my  own  library. 

For  these  reasons  I  believe  "  Washington  Through 
the  Stereoscope  "  has  a  wide  and  permanent  field  of 
usefulness.  A  more  stimulating  and  quickening  aid 
to  education  cannot  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
people,  especially  of  our  youth.  It  should  have  a 
place  in  every  school  where  attention  is  given  to  our 
national  history.  That  history  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  has  had  Washington  for  its  brain  and 
heart;  and  this  truth  comes  home  to  one  with  com- 


INTRODUCTION 


pelling  force  when  he  makes  his  first  visit  to  the 
Capitol.  Such  a  visit,  however  brief,  is  a  remarkable 
stimulus  to  patriotism  and  good  citizenship.  My  own 
first  visit  to  Washington  remains,  after  the  lapse  of 
more  than  three  score  years,  one  of  the  most  memor- 
able experiences  in  my  whole  life,  for  from  it  dated 
a  new  and  far  deeper  interest  in  our  country's  past, 
and  a  firmer  faith  and  a  warmer  pride  in  its  future. 
What  the  sight  of  Washington  did  for  me  I  know 
it  can  do  for  others.  If  then  actual  bodily  presence 
on  this  historic  ground  is  for  any  reason  impractic- 
able, it  is  now  entirely  possible  for  anybody  to  at- 
tain for  himself  the  most  essential  experiences  of 
such  a  trip  by  the  use  of  "  Washington  Through  the 
Stereoscope."  Such  an  opportunity  is  something 
better  than  gold,  and  my  earnest  hope  is  that,  arous- 
ing as  it  does  a  vital  interest  in  our  national  affairs, 
it  will  find  its  way  into  every  community  and  be  used 
in  every  school  and  household  in  our  land. 

Galusha  A.  Grow. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE 

The  making  of  this  book  has  been  for  the  writer  an 
educational  process;  it  has  also  been  one  of  the  most 
delightful  and  instructive  experiences  of  his  life, — and 
all  because  it  has  taught  him  for  the  first  time  the  true 
nature  of  the  experiences  one  may  gain  by  the  right  use 
of  stereoscopic  photographs.  From  boyhood  he  had  ad- 
mired the  stereograph,  but  only  with  a  hazy  and  faulty 
comprehension  of  the  scientific  principles  upon  which 
it  was  based,  and  without  any  clear  idea  of  the  qualities 
which  separate  and  place  it  above  all  other  forms  of 
illustration.  The  writing  of  this  book,  and  the  study 
and  observation  involved  in  the  task,  however,  have 
proved  to  him  that  by  the  use  of  stereographs  under 
proper  conditions  it  is  not  only  possible  but  easy  for 
one  without  leaving  his  own  fireside  to  obtain  the  essen- 
tial things  which  come  to  one  in  actual  travel. 

The  making  of  this  book  has  taught  the  writer  that 
there  is  a  right  and  a  wrong  way  to  use  the  stereo- 
graph. The  wise  traveller  when  visiting  a  new  country 
or  city  makes  a  mental  or  written  list  of  the  places  it 
is  most  worth  his  while  to  see,  and  then  calls  to  his  aid 
the  map  and  the  guide-book;  and  it  is  only  by  availing 
himself  of  the  same  methods  and  aids  that  one  is  able 
to  realize  the  full  possibilities  of  stereographs — to  use 
them  in  the  best  way  and  with  the  largest  measure  of 
profit.  This  thought  has  governed  the  preparation  of 
"Washington  Through  the  Stereoscope,"  and  no  labor 
has  been  spared  to  attain  the  end  had  in  mind. 

There  are  four  divisions,  each  essential  to  the  other, 
to  this  Stereoscopic  Tour  of  Washington: 


10  author's  preface 

We  have,  first,  forty-two  stereoscopic  photographs 
which  make  it  possible  for  us  to  stand  in  the  same 
number  of  important  places  in  and  about  Washington, 
so  chosen  that  making  use  of  all  of  them  we  are  enabled 
to  obtain  an  accurate  and  comprehensive  conception  of 
the  city  as  a  whole,  and  a  first-hand  and  satisfying 
knowledge  of  the  buildings  and  objects  of  interest  which) 
render  it  dear  to  every  American. 

We  have,  in  the  second  place,  the  remarkably  ingen- 
ious patent  maps,  which  will  be  found  inserted  in  a 
pocket  in  the  back  of  the  cover,  by  means  of  which  one 
can  obtain  at  a  glance  the  point  and  the  extent  of  vision 
in  each  stereograph,  and  with  them  the  relation  of  each 
scene  to  every  other  one  and  to  the  whole  city.  The  con- 
stant use  of  these  maps  is  a  matter  of  cardinal  import- 
ance, for  by  it  we  are  enabled  to  secure  in  each  instance 
as  vivid  a  sense  of  location  as  though  we  stood  in  reality 
on  the  spot. 

In  the  third  place,  there  is  "  The  Story  of  Washing- 
ton," to  be  found  in  the  first  part  of  this  book,  in  which 
effort  is  made  to  trace  in  a  clear  and  entertaining  way 
the  rise  of  the  city  from  a  wilderness  hamlet  to  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  capitals  of  the  world. 

Fourth  and  finally,  in  the  body  of  the  book  the  forty- 
two  stereoscopic  scenes  are  treated  in  regular  order,  and 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  reader  is  enabled  to  gain 
experiences  at  every  stage  of  his  progress  of  actually 
touring  the  capital  under  the  direction  of  a  competent 
and  inspiring  guide.  Thus,  in  this  fourfold  way  is  it 
made  possible  to  obtain  in  one's  own  home  an  intimate 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  Washington  of  to-day 
and  of  the  past — a  past  which  makes  it  a  part  of  the 
pround  and  precious  heritage  of  every  patriot. 

In  conclusion  the  writer  would  emphasize  what  has 


AUTHOR  S    PREFACE 


11 


already  been  implied  that  in  these  forty-two  scenes  in 
and  about  Washington  we  have  not  ordinary  photograph 
prints,  but,  aided  by  the  stereoscope,  life-size  repre- 
sentations, accurate  in  detail  and  proportion,  of  what 
would  greet  our  vision  if  we  stood  on  the  spot.  We 
look  not  on,  but  through  the  stereograph  as  we  would 
through  a  window,  and  so  we  are  affected  and  inspired 
by  them  in  much  the  same  measure  as  we  would  be  by 
the  realities  which  they  represent.  Anyone  failing  to 
understand  or  doubting  these  statements  should  write 
to  the  publishers  for  further  literature  on  the  subject. 

Moreover,  while  it  may  be  possible  to  stand  but  once 
in  a  lifetime  in  some  cherished  and  storied  spot,  the 
stereograph  makes  it  easy  to  return  to  the  scene  again 
and  again,  always  with  the  certainty  that  there  awaits 
us  a  fresh  store  of  delightful  and  uplifting  sensations. 
For  those  who  have  had  the  privilege  of  visiting  Wash- 
ington, therefore,  "  Washington  Through  the  Stereo- 
scope "  gives  the  possibility  of  repeating  this  trip  at 
will,  while  for  the  thousands  who  are  unable  to  make 
the  visit  in  a  body,  it  is  the  only  means  by  which  they 
may  gain  experiences  of  actual  presence  in  our  national 
capital.    As  one  psychologist  has  put  it, 

"  The  essential  thing  for  us  is  not  that  we  have  the 
actual  physical  place  or  object  before  us,  as  a  tourist 
does,  rather  than  a  picture,  but  that  we  have  some 
at  least  of  the  same  facts  of  consciousness,  ideas  and 
emotions,  in  the  presence  of  the  picture,  that  the  tourist 
gains  in  the  presence  of  the  scene.  This  is  entirely 
possible  in  the  stereoscope/' 

EUFUS  EOCKWELL  WlLSON". 

New  York,  April,  1904. 


THE  STORY  OF  WASHINGTON. 


The  chief  benefit  to  be  derived  from  a  visit  to  Wash- 
ington is  the  realizing  sense  it  gives  one  of  the  series  of 
great  events  of  which  it  has  been  the  centre.  When  one 
stands  before  the  spot  or  building  where  any  of  these 
events  occurred,  the  event  itself  takes  a  more  vivid  shape 
in  his  mind,  and  he  is  brought  in  living  touch  with  those 
who  were  actors  in  it.  These  facts  render  it  best  that 
this  story  of  Washington,  to  be  used  with  "  Washington 
Through  the  Stereoscope/"'  should  be  made  to  hang 
upon  a  certain  section  of  the  city  as  we  stand  before  it 
in  one  of  these  stereographs. 

But  first  let  us  get  the  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city 
afforded  by  the  large  general  map  of  Washington  in 
the  back  of  this  book.  Spreading  this  map  out  before 
us,  we  find  the  federal  city  bounded  on  the  south  by 
thie  Potomac  River  and  its  tributary  the  Anacosta, 
which  here  meet  and  form  a  huge  crescent,  flanked  on 
its  western  shore  by  the  hills  of  Virginia.  In  the  centre 
of  the  left-hand  portion  of  the  map  we  find  ancient 
Georgetown,  and  north  of  it  the  Naval  Observatory 
and  the  Zoological  Park.  The  twin  island  set  down  in 
the  southward  sweep  of  the  Potomac  bears  the  name 
of  Analostan.  Arlington  National  Cemetery  overlooks 
this  island  from  the  Virginia  shore,  and  directly  east 
of  its  northern  end,  only  a  few  inches  <mi  the  map,  but 
really  more  than  a  mile  away,  is  the  White  House  or 
Executive  Mansion,  flanked  on  either  hand  by  the  State. 
War  and  Navy,  and  the  Treasury  Buildings.  Half  a 
mile  south  of  the  White  House  we  find  the  Washington 
Monument,  and  a.  little  less  than  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
the  east  of  that  tall  pile,  with  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment, the  Smithsonian  Institute  and  the  National  and 
Medical  Museums  between,  rises  the  Capitol,  with  the 
Congressional  Library  beyond  it.     Another  mile  to  the 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  13 

South  and  west  of  the  Capitol,  and  fronting  the  water, 
we  find  the  Arsenal  and  Barracks,  and  east  of  these, 
also  on  the  water  front,  are  the  Navy  Yard  and  the 
Congressional  Cemetery.  Near  the  centre  of  the  upper 
portion  of  the  map,  two  miles  north  of  the  Capitol, 
we  find  the  Howard  University,  and  a  little  to  the 
northeast  of  that,  outside  the  northern  limits  of  the 
map,  the  Soldiers'  Home  and  the  Catholic  University 
of  America. 

A  CAPITAL  BUILT  TO  ORDER. 

Now  turn  your  attention  to  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment and  note  particularly  the  two  red  lines  which, 
starting  from  the  Monument,  branch  out  toward  the 
north.  At  the  end  of  each  of  these  lines  in  the  map 
margin  we  find  the  number  4.  We  are  to  take  our 
position  now  on  the  Washington  Monument,  and  look 
north  over  the  territory  lying  between  those  two  lines. 

Let  us  place  stereograph  No.  4,  "From  Washington 
Monument  (N.),  the  ^Yhite  House,  Treasury,  and  State 
Department/'  in  the  stereoscope  and  bring  the  stereo- 
scope to  our  eyes. 

This  is  Washington.  We  are  standing  on  the  top  of 
the  Washington  Monument  looking  north.  We  are  in 
our  National  Capital.  The  Potomac  is  behind  us  and 
to  our  left,  Georgetown  is  in  front  of  us  and  to  our 
left,  and  to  our  right  the  Capitol.  All  these  are  hidden 
from  view,  but  before  us,  spread  out  at  our  feet,  is  the 
White  House,  guarded  on  the  west  by  the  mammoth 
State,  War  and  Navy  Building  and  on  the  east  by  the 
Treasury  Building.  Could  we  have  stood  here  less  than 
six  score  years  ago  how  different  would  have  been  this 
scene  before  us.  Then  we  should  have  seen  down  here  at 
our  feet  nothing  but  lowlands  covered  with  underbrush 
or  alder;  farther  away  wooded  slopes  partly  tilled  by  a 
few  farmers,  and  in  the  distant  hilltops  thickly  sprin- 
kled with  scrub  oaks.  Thus,  as  you  think  of  the  changes 
wrought  by  the  years  you  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  this  City  of  Washington,  like  St.  Petersburg,  is  a 
city  built  to  order.  The  selection  of  a  site  for  a  per- 
manent capital  fell  to  the  First  Congress,  then  sitting  in 


14  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

Xew  York,  and  in  July,  1790,  an  act  was  passed  and  ap- 
proved which  gave  to  President  Washington  the  sole 
power  to  select  a  site,  not  exceeding  ten  miles  square,  on 
the  River  Potomac,  "  for  the  permanent  seat  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States."  The  site  chosen  by 
Washington,  in  accordance  with  this  act,  included,  be- 
sides the  village  of  Georgetown  in  Maryland,  a  portion 
of  Virginia  with  the  town  of  Alexandria.  Maryland  and 
Virginia  duly  transferred  to  the  United  States  the 
territory  required,  but  in  1846  that  portion  of  the 
district  lying  to  the  west  of  the  Potomac  was  retroceded 
by  Congress  to  Virginia,  so  that  now  the  federal  ter- 
ritory comprises  sixty-four  square  miles,  bounded  on 
three  sides  by  Maryland  and  on  the  fourth  by  the  Po- 
tomac.    (See  Map  Xo.  1.) 

This  site  on  which  the  present  city  is  built,  covering 
the  lower  portion  of  the  district,  had  been  familiar  to 
Washington  from  his  boyhood,  and  he  had  long  cher- 
ished the  idea  of  a  great  commercial  city  here,  with 
the  navigable  Potomac,  reaching  to  the  sea,  to  help  it 
in  the  race  for  supremacy.  We  can,  therefore,  readily 
believe  that  it  was  with  more  than  his  usual  zeal  and 
hopefulness  that,  early  in  1791,  little  more  than  a 
century  ago,  he  came  here  and  set  about  the  work  of 
transforming  this  isolated  tract  of  farm  land  into  a 
centre  of  legislation  for  half  a  continent.  The  private 
owners  of  the  land,  after  some  delay,  joined  in  an 
agreement  to  convey  to  the  government,  out  of  their 
farms,  all  the  lands  needed  for  streets,  avenues,  and 
public  reservations,  free  of  cost.  They  also  agreed  to 
sell  the  land  needed  for  public  buildings  and  improve- 
ments for  $125  an  acre.  All  the  rest  the  government 
divided  into  building  lots  and  apportioned  between  itself 
and  the  owners.  The  small  lots  were  to  be  sold  by  the 
government,  and  from  the  proceeds  payment  made  for 
the  large  ones.  Thus,  without  advancing  a  dollar,  and 
at  a  total  cost  of  $36,000,  the  government  acquired 
a  tract  here  of  six  hundred  acres  in  the  heart  of  the 
city  which  now  represents  a  value  of  seventy  million 
dollars.  This  bargain,  if  no  other,  proves  Washington 
a  shrewd  man  of  affairs. 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  15 


THE   DESIGNER   OF   WASHINGTON. 

His  next  step  was  to  select  three  commissioners  to 
have  entire  charge  of  the  surveying  and  laying  out  of 
this  whole  district  and  the  erection  of  the  necessary 
public  buildings.  Daniel  Carroll  and  Thomas  Johnson, 
of  Maryland,  and  David  Stuart,  of  Virginia,  were  named 
as  such  commissioners,  and  on  April  15,  1791,  laid  the 
first  boundary  stone  of  the  District  at  Jones's  Point 
(see  Map  Xo.  1),  on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  Potomac. 
Meantime,  Major  Pierre  Charles  L'Enfant,  a  skilful 
military  engineer,  who  had  come  to  America  in  the  train 
of  Lafayette,  had  been  selected  by  Washington  to*  draw 
the  plan  of  "the  new  federal  town,"  to  which,  about 
the  same  time,  Carroll  and  his  associates  decided  to 
give  the  name  of  Washington — this  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  President,  but  with  the  hearty  approval 
of  Congress  and  the  people. 

Major  L'Enfant  devoted  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1791  to  elaborating  his  plans  for  the  projected  city. 
He  had  to  contend  with  current  ideas  of  art  and  gov- 
ernmental expenditure  that  were  provincial  and  narrow 
to  the  last  degree,  but  this  handicap,  and  it  was  a  seri- 
ous one,  did  not  prevent  him  from  rising  to  the  full 
possibilities  of  his  task.  Thus,  he  planned  not  for 
thirteen  States  and  three  millions  of  people,  but  for  a 
republic  of  fifty  States  and  five  hundred  millions;  not 
for  a  single  century,  but  for  a  thousand  years.  Some 
of  those  to  whose  opinions  he  was  compelled  to  give 
heed  wanted  the  city  laid  out  in  a  regularity  of  squares, 
with  all  the  streets  intersecting  at  right  angles.  L'En- 
fant made  the  chessboard  squares  demanded  of  him, 
but  he  also,  as  we  can  see,  put  in  so  many  avenues 
running  at  acute  angles,  that  the  monotonous  effect 
was  happily  destroyed,  and  a  way  left  open  to  make 
the  capital  the  magnificent  city  it  has  since  become. 
This  compromise  effected,  L'Enfant  fixed  upon  a  broad 
plateau  in  the  eastern  section  as  a  site  for  the  CapitoL. 
and  then  located  the  other  buildings  in  the  section  that 
lies  at  our  feet — an  arrangement  desired  by  Washing- 
ton, who,  it  is  interesting  to  know,  held  to  the  opinion 


16 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 


that  if  Congress  and  the  Executive  officers  were  located 
close  together,  the  latter  would  be  so  annoyed  by  the 
former  that  they  would  have  to  take  their  business 
home  in  order  to  keep  up  with  it. 

The  first  ceremony  having  to  do  with  the  White 
House  occurred  on  October  13,  1792.  A  company 
gathered  out  there  and  laid  the  cornerstone.  The 
cornerstone  of  the  north  wing  of  the  Capitol  was  laid 
on  September  18,  1793,  but,  such  was  the  poverty  and 
economy  of  the  time,  needed  funds  were  secured  only 
when  the  Commissioners  of  the  District  had  added  their 
individual  guarantee  to  that  of  the  government.  After 
that,  work  on  the  Capitol  and  White  House  made  fair 
progress;  two  other  public  buildings  were  begun  and 
pushed  towards  completion.  One  of  these,  known  as, 
the  Treasury  Department  Building,  occupied  a  portion 
of  the  site  we  now  see  covered  by  the  present  Treasury 
Building,  while  the  War  Office,  as  the  other  building 
was  called,  occupied  the  site  where  to  the  left  of  the 
White  House  we  see  the  present  State,  War  and  Navy 
Building.  Building  a  capital  to  order,  nevertheless, 
proved  a  slow  and  difficult  task  for  the  infant  nation, 
and  when,  in  1799,  Washington  last  beheld  the  city  that 
lies  before  us  it  was  a  straggling  settlement  in  the  woods, 
almost  wholly  devoid  of  streets,  with  thirty  or  forty 
residences, — these,  for  the  most  part,  small  and  un- 
comfortable,— an  unfinished  Capitol  and  President's 
house. 

New  York  was  the  first  federal  capital,  and  remained 
so  for  little  more  than  a  year— 1789-1790.  After  that 
Philadelphia  was  for  ten  years  the  seat  of  government. 
The  removal  of  the  capital  from  Philadelphia  to  Wash- 
ington occurred  in  May,  1800,  and  in  November  of  the 
same  year  John  Adams,  second  President  of  the  repub- 
lic, and  his  wife,  the  famous  Abigail  Adams,  took  up 
their  residence  down  there  in  the  White  House,  which 
looked  then  very  much  as  it  does  now.  They  gave  their 
first  public  reception  on  New  Year's  Day,  1801,  and, 
despite  the  social  poverty  and  material  discomfort  of 
the  infant  city,  the  guests  which  then  assembled  over 
yonder  in  the  White  House  included  more  than  a  score 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  17 

of  men  of  intellect  and  renown.  Among  them  was  John 
Marshall,  Secretary  of  State  in  the  cabinet  of  Adams, 
and  soon  to  become  the  greatest  of  our  Chief  Justices; 
Samuel  Dexter,  Secretary  of  War  and  one  of  the  really 
great  constitutional  lawyers  of  his  day;  and  Attorney- 
General  Theophilus  Parsons,  no  less  famous  for  his 
acrid  wit  than  for  his  extraordinary  attainments  as 
a  scholar  and  jurist.  Thomas  Jefferson  was  then  Vice- 
President,  and  among  the  Senators  over  whose  delibera- 
tions he  presided,  and  who  came  with  him  on  that  day 
to  pay  their  respects  to  the  President  and  his  lady, 
were  Jonathan  Mason,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Charles 
Pinckney,  and  brave  and  brainful  John  Eager  Howard, 
who  at  the  battle  of  Cowpens  had  led  the  desperate 
bayonet  charge  which  assured  a  patriot  victory.  The 
House  must  also  have  had  brilliant  representation  at 
this  first  White  House  reception,  for  dignified  and  ele- 
gant Theodore  Sedgwick  was  then  its  Speaker,  while 
its  membership  included  the  venerable  General  Thomas 
Sumter,  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Edward  Livingston,  Albert 
Gallatin,  James  A.  Bayard  and  John  Eandolph,  now  in 
the  first  year  of  his  quarter-century  of  Congressional 
service,  but  already  noted  for  his  poetic  eloquence  and 
dreaded  for  his  scathing  wit. 

PRESIDENT    JEFFERSOX    AXD    THE    LOUISIANA    PURCHASE. 

In  March,  1801,  Jefferson  succeeded  Adams  as  Presi- 
dent, and,  being  re-elected,  resided  over  there  in  the 
White  House  for  eight  years.  The  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase, which  doubled  the  area  of  the  United  States, 
remains  the  great  measure  of  his  Administration,  but 
it  was  a  period  of  rapid  and  uninterrupted  national 
growth.  The  city  before  us  during  those  years  grew  to 
be  a  town  of  5.000  inhabitants.  The  President  showed 
keen  interest  in  its  future,  and  did  much  to  improve 
it,  causing  Pennsylvania  Avenue  (which  we  see  flank- 
ing the  south  front  of  the  Treasury  Building)  to  be 
opened  and  planted  with  trees,  and  also  hastening  the 
completion  of  the  White  House  and  the  enlargement 
of  the  Capitol.  Four  Congresses  ran  their  course  while 
Jefferson  was  President,  and  each  of  them  brought  bril- 


18  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

liant  accessions  to  the  Senate  and  the  House.  Among 
the  new  members  of  the  former  body  were  John  Quincy 
Adams,  De  Witt  Clinton,  James  A.  Bayard,  William 
H.  Crawford  and  Henry  Clay,  who,  in  1806,  was  sent 
here  by  Kentucky  to  serve  out  an  unexpired  term, 
being  chosen,  in  1809,  to  complete  another  term  of 
two  years.  He  was  then  a  young  man  of  thirty,  but 
already  fairly  started  upon  the  career  which  gave  him 
quick  supremacy  and  kept  him  long  in  the  public  eye. 
During  the  next  forty  years  Clay,  besides  serving  in 
the  Senate,  was  five  times  Speaker  of  the  House,  held 
the  portfolio  of  State,  rendered  eminent  service  as  a 
diplomat,  and  was  thrice  nominated  for  the  Presi- 
dency. Aaron  Burr  served  as  Vice-President  during 
Jefferson's  first  term,  and  from  1805  to  1812  that  office 
was  held  by  George  Clinton.  Jefferson's  cabinet,  with 
two  exceptions,  was  made  up  of  respectable  and  now 
forgotten  mediocrities.  The  exceptions  were  Albert 
Gallatin,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  James  Madi- 
son, Secretary  of  State. 

PRESIDENT      MADISON     AND     THE      SECOND     WAR     WITH 
ENGLAND. 

Madison  from  the  first  stood  out  as  the  logical  suc- 
cessor to  the  Presidency,  and  could  we  have  stood  on 
March  4,  1809,  where  we  are  now  standing  we  should 
have  seen  a  great  multitude  thronging  the  White  House 
grounds  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  new  Chief  Ex- 
ecutive and  his  wife,  the  renowned  and  beloved  Dolly 
Madison,  the  daughter  of  sober  Quaker  parents,  who 
had  found  her  an  equally  sober  Quaker  husband,  this 
before,  a  widow  just  turned  twenty,  she  became  the 
wife  of  Madison.  Nature,  however,  had  amply  endowed 
her  for  the  position  she  was  to  fill.  She  had  tact, 
frankness  and  a  noble  nature,  and  these,  with  a  tenacious 
memory  that  never  lost  a  name,  won  her  the  love  of 
every  class  of  people.  Until  her  dying  day,  and  she 
lived  long,  she  was  Washington's  society  heroine. 

Washington  Irving  spent  the  winter  of  1811  here, 
and  over  Penns}dvania  Avenue,  which  we  can  see  stretch- 
ing   westward    from    the    north    front    of    the    State, 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  19 

War  and  Xavy  Building,  came  more  than  once  from 
Georgetown    to    attend    the    White    House    receptions. 

"  Mrs.  Madison,"  he  wrote,  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  is 
a  fine,  portly,  buxom  dame,  who  has  a  smile  and  a  pleas- 
ant word  for  everybody  .  .  .  but  as  for  Jemmy 
Madison, — ah !  poor  Jemmy  ! — he  is  but  a  withered  little 
apple-John."  Among  the  men  with  whom  Irving  must 
often  have  touched  elbows  at  Mrs.  Madison's  "  at 
homes "  were  Joseph  Story,  of  Massachusetts,  who 
served  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  1811 
to  1843,  and  during  that  time  stood  second  only  to 
Marshall  as  an  interpreter  of  the  Constitution;  Sena- 
tor Eufus  King,  of  Xew  York,  who  always  appeared 
clad  in  eighteenth  century  dress, — satin  coat  and  waist- 
coat, knee  breeches,  silken  hose,  and  low  shoes;  and 
John  C.  Calhoun,  of  South  Carolina,  who  entered  the 
House  in  1811  to  speedily  become  a  leader  in  national 
affairs.  Calhoun  sat  in  the  House  until  1817,  and  then 
for  seven  years  was  Secretary  of  War  under  Monroe. 
In  1831  he  resigned  the  Vice-Presidency,  to  which  he 
had  been  twice  elected,  to  enter  the  Senate,  and  ten 
years  later  became  Secretary  of  State  in  Tyler's  cabinet. 
During  the  remainder  of  his  days  he  was  again  a 
Senator. 

The  second  war  with  England,  due  to  British  aggres- 
sions on  American  commerce,  was  the  chief  event  of 
Madison's  Administration.  Acting  under  the  mandate 
of  Congress,  Madison,  from  his  office  in  the  upper  story 
of  the  White  House, — the  southwest  room  whose  win- 
dows peer  at  us  above  the  trees, — issued  a  formal  dec- 
laration of  war  on  June  18,  1812.  The  nation,  however, 
was  ill-prepared  to  cope  with  a  formidable  enemy. 
Though  there  was  soon  a  long  list  of  brilliant  victories 
achieved  at  sea,  the  record  of  land  operations  was  one 
of  almost  unbroken  disaster,  and  when  in  1814,  the 
British  ministry  offered  to  negotiate  for  peace,  the  offer 
was  at  once  accepted,  and  five  commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed to  meet  England's  representatives  at  Ghent. 

Meanwhile,  in  August,  181-1,  a  British  fleet  entered 
the  Chesapeake,  and  4,500  soldiers  and  marines  effected 
a  landing  on  the  Potomac,  forty  miles  below  where  we 


20  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

are  standing.  No  attempt  was  made  to  check  the  ad- 
vance of  the  British  until  on  August  24  they  had 
passed  east  of  the  city  and  reached  BJadensburg.  There 
battle  was  given  them  by  5,000  militiamen  and  900 
regulars  under  General  William  H.  Winder,  but  the 
militia  fled  at  the  first  fire,  nor  could  their  officers 
again  rally  them  to  the  attack.  Thus  left  unsupported, 
the  American  regulars  were  quickly  overpowered,  and 
the  British  continued  their  advance  upon  Washington 
without  further  check  or  hindrance.  They  entered  the 
city  in  the  evening  over  the  hills  we  see  off  to  the  right, 
and  making  their  way  southward  applied  the  torch  to 
the  Capitol.  An  hour  later  only  the  walls  were  left  of 
the  beautiful  structure  that  had  been  half  a  lifetime 
in  building. 

After  this  the  invaders  came  on  here  to  the  White 
House,  which  they  found  unoccupied,  for  the  President 
and  his  wife,  along  with  the  members  of  the  Cabinet 
and  a  large  part  of  the  populace  had  already  fled  the 
city.  Disappointed  in  the  hope  of  capturing  the  Presi- 
dent, they  fired  the  mansion  we  now  see  bathed  in 
sunshine,  and  the  Treasury  Building  beside  it,  and  then, 
marching  away  across  the  mall  at  our  feet,  went  into 
camp  for  the  night  on  Capitol  Hill.  The  following 
day  the  work  of  destruction  was  resumed,  and  nothing 
was  spared  that  could  be  considered  public  property 
or  put  to  public  use.  But,  while  this  fell  work  was 
still  in  progress,  rumors  spread  through  the  British 
camp  that  an  army  12,000  strong  was  on  the  way  from 
Virginia  to  recapture  the  city.  Orders  to  retire  were 
accordingly  given,  and,  being  still  unopposed,  the  enemy 
regained  their  ships  on  August  29,  but  not  before  they 
had  written  one  of  the  darkest  pages  in  our  national 
history. 

President  Madison,  who  had  been  hiding  in  Virginia, 
returned  on  the  morrow  of  the  departure  of  the  British, 
and  for  the  time  being  took  up  his  residence  in  a  house 
which  still  stands  at  the  corner  of  New  York  Avenue 
and  Eighteenth  Street,  directly  west  of  the  mall  spread 
out  at  our  feet.  It  was  in  that  house  that  on  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1815,  he  signed  the  proclamation  of  the  Treaty 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  21 

of  Ghent,  which  ended  the  war  with  England,  and  had, 
in  fact,  been  in  the  process  of  making  when  Washing- 
ton was  laid  waste  by  the  foe.  Two  years  later  Madi- 
son's second  term  as  President  came  to  an  end.  He  was 
succeeded  by  James  Monroe,  whose  eight  years  in  the 
White  House,  which  with  the  Capitol  had  been 
promptly  rebuilt,  lives  in  history  as  the  Era  of  Good 
Feeling. 

This  period  witnessed  the  passage  by  Congress  of 
what  was  known  as  the  Missouri  Compromise, — an 
act  providing  that  slavery  should  not  exist  north  of 
the  southern  boundary  line  of  Missouri,  and  it  brought 
here  two  statesmen  of  great  and  enduring  renown — 
J)aniel  Webster  and  Thomas  H.  Benton.  Wrebster 
entered  the  House  in  1813,  and  in  1827  was  elected  to 
the  seat  in  the  Senate,  which  he  held  until  1841;  he 
became  Secretary  of  State  in  Harrison's  cabinet,  con- 
tinuing in  that  office  under  Tyler  until  his  resignation 
in  May,  1843.  He  was  re-elected  to  the  Senate  in  18-15, 
but  left  it  at  the  end  of  five  years  to  become  Fillmore's 
Secretary  of  State,  which  post  he  held  until  his  death 
in  the  early  autumn  of  1852.  His  was  the  master  mind 
of  his  era,  and  he  lacked  but  a  stronger  character  to 
have  become  the  greatest  name  in  our  political  history. 
Benton  entered  the  Senate  from  Missouri  in  1820,  and 
he  remained  for  thirty  years  a  member  of  that  body. 
His  great  ability  made  him  from  the  first  an  important 
factor  in  the  affairs  of  the  Senate,  and,  with  rigid  devo- 
tion to  principle,  won  for  him,  as  time  went  on,  a 
measure  of  popular  confidence  that  the  more  brilliant 
but  vacillating  talents  of  a  Clay,  a  Calhoun,  or  a  Web- 
ster could  not  command. 

THE   REIGN   OF   ANDREW   JACKSON. 

After  Monroe,  John  Quincy  Adams  served  a  single 
term  as  President,  and  then  came  the  two  terms  of  the 
masterful  man  whose  period  of  service  has  come  to  be 
known  as  the  Reign  of  Andrew  Jackson.  Could  we 
have  joined  the  crowd  which  thronged  the  mall  below  us 
on  March  4,  1829,  and  jostled  one  another  in  their  eager- 
ness to  grasp  the  hand  of  the  new  President,  we  should 


22  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

have  beheld  in  the  object  of  their  regard  a  figure  tall, 
spare,  erect  and  commanding,  with  features  worn  and 
seamed  but  fixed  and  strong;  steady,  deep-set,  piercing 
eyes  shadowed  by  shaggy  brows,  and  lips  which,  save 
in  their  kindlier  moods,  had  always  a  firm  and  defiant 
expression,  a  shock  of  bristling  white  hair,  lending  an 
appropriate  crown  to  a  bearing  and  individuality  no 
stranger  could  meet  without  startling  recognition. 

With  a  single  exception,  the  issues  which  made  Jack- 
son's eight  years  in  the  White  House  a  period  of  tur- 
moil and  continuing  battle  have  little  interest  for  men 
of  a  later  time,  but  the  fact  remains  that  the  frontier 
planter,  lawyer  and  soldier,  who  dwelt  during  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  comparative  obscurity,  was  one  of 
those  masterful  figures  who  appear  in  high  places  only 
once  or  twice  in  a  century.  When  Hayne,  of  South 
Carolina,  angered  by  a  tariff  act  which  bore  heavily 
on  the  agricultural  South,  declared  in  the  Senate 
that  a  State  could  refuse  assent  to  any  act  of  Con- 
gress that  she  might  deem  unconstitutional  or  inim- 
ical to  her  interest,  and  Webster  replied  to  him  in  the 
master-speech  of  his  life,  the  latters  demonstration 
that  nullification  would  destroy  the  Union  found  its 
strongest  champion  in  Jackson.  With  Jackson  to  think 
was  to  act,  and,  when  in  November,  1832,  a  State  con- 
vention in  South  Carolina  passed  an  ordinance  nulli- 
fying existing  tariff  laws,  and  prohibiting  the  payment 
of  any  dues  under  them,  the  President  at  once  took 
up  the  gauntlet  of  defiance  thus  thrown  down.  He  sent 
Genera]  Scott  to  take  command  at  Charleston,  with 
troops  nearby  and  gunboats  at  hand,  and  issued  a  proc- 
lamation  declaring  the  act  of  South  Carolina  contradic- 
tory to  the  Constitution  and  destructive  of  its  aims. 
Then  Clay  stepped  into  the  breach,  and  introduced  a 
Congress  bill  ^revising  the  tariff,  which  was  accepted  by 
the  nullifiers,  and  became  a  law.  known  as  the  Com- 
promise of  1833.  The  South  Carolina  Convention, 
without  delay,  rescinded  the  nullification  ordinance; 
and  thus  the  struggle  of  sections  was  put  off  for  a  gen- 
eration. But  how  acute  was  the  crisis  averted  by  Clay 
is  revealed  in  one  of  Jackson's  last  recorded  utterances. 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  23 

A  friend  asked  him  what  he  would  have  done  with 
the  South  Carolina  leaders  had  they  persisted  in  their 
defiance  of  the  Government.  ,  Hanged  them,  sir,  as 
high  as  Hainan,"  said  the  dying  man  with  eyes  aflame. 
"  They  should  have  been  a  terror  to  traitors  for  all  time." 
Not  only  was  Jackson  strong  enough  with  the  people 
to  secure  his  re-election  in  1832,  but  four  years  later 
he  was  able  to  name  Martin  Yan  Buren  as  his  successor 
in  the  Presidency.  The  Washington  which  Yan  Buren 
knew  was  a  very  different  city  from  the  one  which  lies 
around  us.  It  was  still  a  struggling  village.  "  There 
was  not  a  paved  street,  and  the  sidewalks  were  very  im- 
perfect, while  the  crossings  from  one  side  of  the  street 
to  the  other  were  formed  of  narrow  flagstones,  and  the 
gutters  of  cobblestones  rendered  necessary  to  carry  off 
the  drainage,  which  at  that  time  was  entirely  upon 
the  surface.  There  were  no  carriages,  omnibuses  nor 
conveyances  of  any  sort,  no  gas-light  and  no  water, 
except  what  was  taken  from  the  pumps  distributed 
over  the  city.  A  pump  would  often  get  out  of  order, 
and  that  always  created  trouble  in  the  neighborhood, 
not  only  with  the  families,  but  with  the  servants,  who 
had  to  travel  off  a  square  or  two  to  find  a  pump  and  get 
water  for  domestic  wants.  The  lighting  was  with  oil 
lamps,  sparsely  distributed,  and  on  dark  nights  the  popu- 
lation had  to  grope  their  way  about  town  as  best  thev 
could." 

PRESIDENT    HARRISON   AND    HIS   SUCCESSORS. 

Yan  Buren  had  had  long  experience  in  public  life, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  ablest  of  our  Presidents,  but 
his  four  years  here  in  the  White  House  were  troubled 
ones.  He  was  unjustly  held  responsible  for  the  severe 
financial  panic  of  1837,  and  though  his  hold  upon  the 
machinery  of  his  party  was  strong  enough  to  secure  him 
a  renomination  by  the  Democrats  in  1840,  he  was  over- 
whelmingly defeated  by  General  William  Henry  Har- 
rison, the  candidate  of  the  Whigs.  Harrison,  however, 
died  suddenly  at  the  end  of  his  first  month  in  office. 
His  term  was  served  out  by  Yice-President  John  Tyler, 
who,  though  elected  as  a  Whig,  early  broke  with  the 


24  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

leaders  of  that  party,  and  this  breach  led  in  1844  to  the 
election  of  James  K.  Polk,  a  Democrat,  as  his  succes- 
sor. The  most  noteworthy  event  of  Tylers  Adminis- 
tration was  the  annexation  of  Texas,  and  this  led  dur- 
ing the  Presidency  of  Polk  to  the  war  with  Mexico, 
which  added  to  the  United  States  the  wide  stretch  of 
territory  since  divided  up  into  California,  Nevada,  Ari- 
zona and  New  Mexico. 

This  sudden  swelling  of  the  southern  portion  of  the 
Union,  and  its  attendant  possibilities,  made  the  slavery 
question  an  overshadowing  issue  in  national  politics. 
Both  of  the  old  parties,  however,  sought  to  compromise 
with  it  in  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1848.  The 
Whigs  chose  as  their  candidate  General  Zachary  Tay- 
lor, a  slave-holder,  while  the  Democrats  named  General 
Lewis  Cass,  a  Northern  man  acceptable  to  the  slave- 
holders. Martin  Van  Buren  consented  to  become  the 
candidate  of  the  anti-slavery  men,  and  his  defection 
from  the  Democracy  sealed  the  fate  of  Cass,  Taylor 
receiving  a  large  majority  in  the  Electoral  College. 
But  the  new  President,  the  scarred  veteran  of  many 
battles,  served  little  more  than  a  year,  his  death  occur- 
ring on  July  9,  1850.  Five  days  before  he  had  sat  in 
the  sun  at  the  foot  of  this  monument  during  the  de- 
livery of  two  long  and  tedious  orations,  and  on  his  re- 
turn to  the  White  House  had  partaken  freely  of  iced 
milk  and  cherries.  That  evening  he  was  seized  with 
violent  cramps.  This  was  on  Thursday,  but  he  did  not 
consider  himself  dangerously  ill  until  Sunday,  when 
he  said  to  his  attendants,  "In  two  days  I  shall  be  a 
dead  man."  Eminent  physicians  hastily  summoned 
could  not  arrest  the  fever  which  supervened,,  and  on 
Thursday  morning  came  the  end.  "  You  have  fought  a 
good  fight,  but  you  cannot  make  a  stand,"  said  the  dying 
man  to  one  of  the  physicians  at  his  bedside.  "I  have 
tried  to  do  my  duty,"  he  murmured  a  moment  later, 
and  with  these  words  peacefully  breathed  his  last. 

Vice-President  Millard  Fillmore  now  became  Presi- 
dent, and  a  few  months  later  gave  his  approval  to  the 
attempt  to  settle  the  slavery  question  known  as  the 
Compromise  of  1850.     During  this  period,  Clay,  Cal- 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  25 

houn  and  Webster  passed  from  the  stage  here,  and  their 
places  were  taken  by  a  new  group  of  statesmen.  Promi- 
nent among  these  new  comers  were  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
and  Lyman  Trumbull,  of  Illinois ;  John  P.  Hale,  of  Xew 
Hampshire;  Jefferson  Davis,  of  Mississippi;  General 
Sam  Houston,  of  Texas;  Ben  Wade  and  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  of  Ohio;  Hannibal  Hamlin  and  William  P. 
Fessenden,  of  Maine;  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Tennessee; 
Alexander  H.  Stephens  and  Eobert  Toombs,  of  Georgia; 
Charles  Sumner  and  Henry  Wilson,  of  Massachusetts; 
David  Wilmot  and  Galusha  A.  Grow,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  William  H.  Seward,  of  Xew  York,  who  came  to  the 
Senate  in  1849  by  way  of  the  governorship  of  his  State. 
Seward  had  alread}"  won  more  than  local  repute  as  an 
orator,  and  in  the  field  of  national  politics  he  at  once 
made  his  influence  felt.  Xo  man  forestalled  him  in 
accurate  perception  of  the  drift  and  goal  of  the  slave 
power  or  in  announcing  what  he  saw.  His  utterances 
on  the  great  issues  of  the  time  soon  came  to  be  listened 
to  with  breathless  interest  by  the  whole  nation;  their 
dignity,  calmness  and  cogency  gave  them  weight  which 
created  or  changed  opinion. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  great  shaft  from  which  we 
are  taking  our  first  view  of  Washington  was  laid  on 
Independence  Day,  1848,  and  on  the  same  day  in  1851, 
under  the  supervision  of  Thomas  Walter,  was  begun 
the  work  of  giving  the  Capitol  its  present  form  by  the 
construction  of  a  white  marble  addition  at  each  end 
of  the  old  building,  with  porticoes  proportioned  to  those 
of  the  centre  structure.  The  work  of  reconstruction 
went  on  without  interruption  until  May,  1861,  when 
the  Government  ordered  it  to  be  suspended,  but  patriotic 
contractors  continued  operations  at  their  own  expense 
and  risk,  and  the  sound  of  the  hammer  upon  the  Capi- 
tol did  not  cease  during  the  Civil  War.  During  1865 
both  wings  were  completed,  and  the  interior  of  the 
dome  was  finished.  Walter's  long  and  exacting  task 
was  done,  and  he  retired  to  his  Pennsylvania  home, 
leaving  behind  him  a  Capitol  that,  with  all  its  minor 
faults,  is  a  structure  worthy  of  the  republic. 


26  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 


THE  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  REPUBLICANS. 

Fillmore,  the  last  of  the  Whig  Presidents,  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1853  by  Franklin  Pierce,  who  gave  way  at 
the  end  of  a  single  term  to  James  Buchanan.  During 
the  eight  years  covered  by  the  Administrations  of  Pierce 
and  Buchanan  that  white  mansion  below  us  was  in  an 
especial  sense  the  nerve  centre  of  the  nation.  The  re- 
peal of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in  1854  by  a  bill 
which  provided  that  in  future  the  people  of  each  Terri- 
tory, whether  north  or  south  of  the  line  laid  down  in 
1820,  should  admit  or  exclude  slavery  as  they  might 
determine  by  vote,  was  followed  by  the  formation  of 
the  Kepublican  Party,  which,  pledged  to  the  non-exten- 
sion of  slavery,  in  1860  scored  its  first  national  triumph 
in  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  Presidency. 
Then  came  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States,  and  the 
opening  of  the  Civil  War. 

Washington  during  the  first  days  of  that  struggle 
underwent  a  brief  period  of  isolation  and  of  seeming 
peril.  The  disloyal  element  in  Maryland,  within  the 
week  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  burned  many  of  the 
bridges  on  the  railroads  running  from  Baltimore  to 
Harrisburg  and  Philadelphia,  and  destroyed  the  tele- 
graph lines,  thus  completely  cutting  off  Washington 
from  communication  with  the  North.  Could  we  have 
crossed  the  mall  at  our  feet  and  paid  a  visit  to  the 
White  House  during  that  period  of  isolation  we  should 
have  found  it  guarded  by  a  company  of  volunteers, 
while  in  the  unoccupied  spaces  of  the  Treasury  Build- 
ing off  there  to  the  right,  a  regiment  of  clerks,  organized 
for  its  defence,  drilled  from  early  morning  until  night- 
fall. We  should  also  have  found  batteries  placed  in 
commauding  positions,  guards  stationed  at  every  ap- 
proach to  the  city,  and  all  the  public  buildings,  includ- 
ing school  houses,  barricaded. 

Washington's  isolation  ended  at  noon  of  Thursday, 
April  25,  when  the  whistle  of  a  locomotive  broke  the 
silence  that  brooded  over  the  city.  Half  an  hour  later, 
could  we  have  stood  where  we  are  standing  now,  we 
should  have  seen  the  Seventh  New  York,  travel-stained 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  27 

and  dirty,  but  flanked  by  cheering  crowds,  marching 
from  the  railroad  station  to  the  White  House,  there  to 
be  reviewed  by  the  President.  It  was  followed  next 
morning  by  the  Eighth  Massachusetts,  which  found 
quarters  in  the  Capitol,  and  the  same  day  brought  the 
First  Ehode  Island.  Thenceforward  regiments  poured 
in  unceasingly,  and  the  Washington  which  lies  around 
us  changed  almost  in  a  day  from  a  sleepy  Southern 
town  to  a  city  of  camps  and  hospitals.  In  November 
of  1861  an  army  of  152,000  men  was  encamped  in  and 
around  the  city.  Another  year  found  this  host  increased 
to  200,000  men,  while  a  score  of  hospitals  sheltered 
twice  as  many  thousand  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and 
150  forts  and  batteries,  mounting  upward  of  1,200 
guns,  guarded  the  several  approaches  to  the  city. 

The  fate  of  the  nation  was  trembling  in  the  balance, 
and  in  his  office  out  there  to  the  left,  where  now  we 
see  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building,  Edwin  M.  Stan- 
ton, the  great  Secretary  of  War,  was  doing  the  work 
that  gives  him  a  foremost  place  among  the  saviors  of 
the  Union.  Stanton,  a  man  of  iron  will  and  heroic 
mold,  who  to  wonderful  talent  for  administration  added 
the  rare  gift  of  bending  strong  men  to  his  aims,  was 
controlled  only  by  one  purpose,  and  that  was  the 
utter  overthrow  of  the  rebellion.  The  grasp  of  his  ner- 
vous hand  on  the  lever  was  felt  in  every  part  of  the 
vast  war  machine;  he  mastered  not  only  the  many  sided 
affairs  of  his  department,  but  the  details  of  military 
movement  and  strategy,  and  he  knew  how  to  choose  the 
most  efficient  agent  for  the  particular  task  in  hand. 
The  human  unit  had  small  place  in  his  plans;  men 
had  suffered  and  died;  more  must  do  the  same,  while 
blows  were  rained,  to  the  last  fibre  of  power,  upon  the 
armed  foe.  Yet  he  had  always  a  ready  ear  for  the 
sick  or  wounded  soldier,  the  plainly  dressed  woman, 
the  aged  of  either  sex,  and  he  gave  proof  on  one  occa- 
sion that  beneath  a  grim  exterior  beat  the  tenderest  of 
hearts. 

A  wounded  drummer-boy,  discharged  for  disability 
from  a  Washington  hospital,  was  told  that  he  could 
not  receive  his  pay  and  transportation  home  because 


28  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

his  "  description  papers  "  had  not  arrived  from  the  front. 
He  waited  for  weeks,  and  then  one  morning  made  bold 
to  approach  Secretary  Stanton,  as  the  latter  was  leaving 
his  home,  and  lay  his  case  before  him.  The  Secretary 
bade  the  boy  follow  his  carriage  to  the  War  Office,  at 
the  same  time  advising  the  coachman  to  drive  more 
slowly  than  usual.  Carriage  and  drummer-boy  arrived 
at  the  entrance  to  the  War  Department  at  the  same 
moment.  Stanton,  beckoning  the  lad  to  follow  him, 
entered  the  door  of  the  first  room  that  he  came  to, 
seated  himself  at  a  vacant  desk,  seized  pen  and  paper, 
and  wrote  thereon  a  peremptory  order  to  have  the  drum- 
mer-boy's account  ascertained  from  the  best  data,  and 
then  paid.  This  done,  he  rose  from  his  seat,  shook  the 
little  fellow's  hand,  and  said :  "  Give  my  regards,  my 
boy,  to  your  mother,  and  to  all  good  mothers  in  her 
neighborhood  who  have  their  sons  at  the  front.  God 
bless  you.     Good-by  !  " 

But  the  noblest  figure  of  that  mighty  era  was  the 
President,  Abraham  Lincoln.  During  his  first  days  here, 
the  great  war  President  found  delight  in  sunrise  visits 
from  the  White  House  yonder  to  the  camps  and  hos- 
pitals in  and  around  the  city.  He  was  generally  un- 
attended in  these  rambles,  probably  from  choice,  as 
he  was  thus  enabled  to  mingle  freely  with  the  soldiers, 
and  to  make  himself  familiar  with  their  needs  and  con- 
dition. Now  and  again,  in  these  first  days,  he  would 
find  time  for  an  unannounced  visit  to  one  of  the  depart- 
ments in  the  discharge  of  some  helpful  task  which  he 
did  not  elect  to  intrust  to  others.  However,  the  Presi- 
dent's working  hours,  after  the  midsummer  of  1861, 
were  nearly  all  passed  in  his  office,  a  large  room  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  second  story  of  the  White 
House,  whose  windows  blink  at  us  through  the  sun- 
shine. Lincoln  stood  often  at  those  windows,  and  gazed 
upon  the  Potomac  and  the  camp-strewed  Virginia  hills. 
Those  seeking  audience  with  the  President  found 
themselves  in  the  presence  of  a  tall,  melancholy-appear- 
ing man,  who  listened  to  all  who  came  with  gentle  pa- 
tience. It  was  his  rule  to  receive  callers,  save  on  days 
when  the   Cabinet  met,   from  nine  until   two   o'clock. 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  29 

It  was  a  rule,  however,  more  honored  in  the  breach  than 
in  the  observance.  Visitors  found  their  way  into  his 
presence  from  early  morning  until  late  at  night,  and 
even  his  sleeping  hours  were  not  free  from  their  im- 
portunities. Lincoln  was  from  the  first  the  personal 
friend  of  every  soldier  he  sent  to  the  front,  and  from 
the  first  also  every  soldier  seemed  to  divine,  as  if  by 
intuition,  that  he  had  Lincoln's  heart.  Stories  of  how 
the  President  interfered  personally  to  secure  some  right 
or  favor  for  the  man  afoot  with  the  gun  on  his  shoul- 
der, steadily  found  their  way  to  the  army,  and,  as  the 
war  went  on  and  battle  followed  battle,  the  wounded 
veteran  hobbling  across  the  mall  at  our  feet,  and  enter- 
ing the  White  House  unattended  became  a  sight  too 
familiar  to  cause  remark.  None  came  away  without 
cheer  or  help  of  some  kind,  and  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  little  cards  are  treasured  by  private  soldiers, 
each  of  which  bears  witness  to  some  kindly  act  per- 
formed or  requested  by  the  President. 

THE    END   OF   THE    CIVIL    WAR    AND   AFTER. 

Lincoln  was  re-elected  to  the  Presidency  in  the 
autumn  of  1864,  and  in  the  following  spring  came 
Lee's  surrender  to  Grant  and  the  end  of  the  war.  The 
news  that  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  had  at  last 
laid  down  its  arms  reached  here  in  the  early  morning 
of  April  10,  1865,  and  could  we  have  stood  on  that 
day  in  any  of  the  streets  below  us  we  should  have  found 
each  and  all  of  them  filled  from  sunrise  until  sunset 
with  laughing,  joyful  crowds.  There  was  a  salute  of 
500  guns  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  and,  though 
it  was  a  rainy  day  and  the  streets  were  thick  with  mud, 
there  was  marching,  cheering,  singing  and  speech-mak- 
ing without  end.  The  following  night  a  great  throng 
gathered  in  front  of  the  White  House  and  was  ad- 
dressed by  the  President.  It  was  the  last  speech  of 
his  life — a  great  leader's  parting  message  to  his  people. 
When  those  grouped  about  him  gazed  again  upon  Lin- 
coln's face  he  had  become  the  gentlest  memory  in  our 
history. 

The  story  of  the  murder  of  the  President  on  the 


30  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

night  of  April  14,  the  madman's  deed  which  turned 
the  nation's  joy  to  grief,  will  be  told  in  another  place. 
(See  page  50.)  The  following  morning  the  body  of 
the  dead  President  was  reverently  laid  in  an  upper 
chamber  of  the  White  House,  and  thence  it  was  carried 
after  a  few  days  for  the  mighty  funeral  which  reached 
to  its  last  resting  place  in  Illinois.  Lincoln  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  Presidency  by  Andrew  Johnson,  and  later 
years  have  seen  that  Executive  mansion  filled  in  turn 
by  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Kutherford  B.  Hayes,  James  A. 
Garfield,  Chester  A.  Arthur,  Grover  Cleveland,  Ben- 
jamin Harrison,  William  McKinley,  and  the  present 
incumbent,  Theodore  Eoosevelt.  They  have  also  wit- 
nessed the  foul  assassination  of  two  of  Lincoln's  suc- 
cessors— Garfield  and  McKinley;  the  reconstruction  of 
the  Union  and  its  expansion  to  far  islands  of  the  sea; 
and  the  transformation  of  Washington  into  the  beauti- 
ful city  that  lies  around  us — a  capital  worthy  of  the 
republic. 

Forty  years  ago  this  federal  city  was  little  better  than 
an  overgrown  town,  far  inferior  to  many  State  capitals 
in  beauty,  size  and  comfort.  There  were  no  regular 
grades  throughout  the  city;  most  of  its  walks  and  ave- 
nues were  unpaved  and  ill-kept;  the  Capitol  and  the 
present  department  buildings  were  unfinished  or  not 
yet  begun;  weeds  grew  in  the  parks  and  commons,  and 
where  now  we  see  wide  reaches  of  lawn,  flanking  the 
White  House,  were  stables,  wooden  fences  and  patches 
of  bare  earth.  The  Civil  War,  however,  wrought  a  com- 
plete and  gratifying  change  in  the  hitherto  unfortunate 
city.  Its  population  of  70,000  in  18G0  nearly  doubled 
in  a  single  decade,  and,  with  the  return  of  peace,  a 
movement  was  set  on  foot  by  a  few  liberal  citizens  to 
rescue  it  from  the  ancient  ruts  of  indifference  and 
sloth.  Congress  early  in  1871  established  a  new  form 
of  government  for  the  District,  with  governor,  legis- 
lature and  delegates  to  Congress.  A  board  of  public 
works  was  also  created,  with  Alexander  R.  Shepherd 
as  chairman. 

This  remarkable  man,  who  soon  succeeded  to  the 
governorship,  proved  equal  in  every  way  to  the  task 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  31 

before  him.  A  native  of  Washington,  first  a  prosperous 
master  plumber,  and  later  a  large  and  successful  opera- 
tor in  real  estate,  he  knew  every  inch  of  his  city,  and 
was  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  future  which  waited 
upon  the  adequate  development  of  its  natural  advan- 
tages. He  was,  moreover,  a  man  of  indomitable  per- 
severance, and  unusual  executive  ability.  Governor 
Shepherd,  in  carrying  out  one  of  the  most  comprehen- 
sive schemes  of  municipal  improvement  ever  conceived, 
followed  the  professional  advice  of  Alexander  B.  Mul- 
lett,  a  skilful  architect,  under  whose  supervision  the 
Treasury  Building  down  there  to  our  right  had  lately 
taken  on  its  present  shape  and  dimensions,  and  who 
afterward  planned  and  built  the  splendid  State,  War 
and  Navy  Building  over  there  to  our  left.  Attention 
was  first  given  to  the  construction  of  proper  sewerage, 
water  and  gas  systems  for  the  city,  and  the  close  of 
1873  saw  the  accomplishment  of  this  triple  task.  Mean- 
time, the  streets  within  the  city  limits  were  raised  or 
lowered  to  uniform  grade,  paved  with  wood,  concrete 
or  Belgian  block,  and  then  planted  with  no  less  than 
25,000  shade  trees,  whose  subsequent  growth,  as  we  can 
see,  has  given  Washington  the  appearance  of  a  city  built 
in  a  forest. 

Into  a  space  of  less  than  three  years  Shepherd  and 
his  lieutenants  injected  the  delayed  activity  of  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  creating  the  Washington  that  lies 
around  us.  The  effect  of  their  labors  was  at  once 
seen  in  a  rapid  increase  in  population,  and  an  even 
more  rapid  rise  in  real  estate  values;  but  Shepherd  had 
done  his  work  roughly  and  hastily,  though  thoroughly, 
and  had  created  the  while  a  numerous  body  of  powerful 
and  active  enemies,  who,  keenly  alive  to  the  large  in- 
debtedness it  created,  failed,  on  the  other  hand,  to  ap- 
preciate the  beneficial  and  abiding  results  it  insured. 
He  was  given  no  credit  for  his  successes,  and  only  curses 
for  his  failures,  and,  though  not  a  dishonest  dollar  was 
discovered  to  bear  witness  against  him,  he  was  driven 
from  office  in  disgrace  and  virtually  ostracised  in  the 
city  he  had  done  more  than  any  other  to  make  beauti- 
ful and  prosperous. 


32  THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON 

Shepherd's  downfall,  however,  in  the  end  resulted 
in  lasting  benefit  to  his  city.  Congress  in  1874  abol- 
ished the  form  of  government  under  which  the  remaking 
of  the  capital  had  been  carried  forward,  and  with  it  the 
elective  franchise.  The  affairs  of  the  district  were  at 
the  same  time  lodged  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of  three 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  President  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate.  Congress  since  then  has  paid 
half  the  taxes,  and  the  salaries  of  all  officials  appointed 
by  the  President;  all  others  are  paid  by  the  District  of 
Columbia.  Thus  for  nearly  thirty  years  taxation  with- 
out representation  has  obtained  in  the  national  capital, 
yet  it  is  generally  admitted  that  for  the  District  of 
Columbia  the  present  form  of  government  is  the  best 
possible.  Free  from  scandal  of  every  sort,  successive 
boards  of  commissioners  of  ability  and  character  have 
administered  the  affairs  of  the  District  during  the  past 
twenty-eight  years  more  efficiently  and  economically 
than  the  affairs  of  any  other  American  municipality 
have  been  administered,  and  to  such  general  satisfaction 
that  there  has  been  no  lasting  criticism. 

Washington  under  the  present  form  of  government 
has  doubled  in  population  and  in  wealth;  nor  has  there 
been  any  break  in  the  process  of  making  it  the  most 
beautiful  of  capitals.  Many  of  its  later  residents  have 
been  peopjle  <xf  wealth  or  df  fixed  incomes,  dlrawn 
hither  by  its  superior  attractions,  while  it  has  also 
grown  to  be  the  favorite  resting-place  for  retired  gov- 
ernment officers,  especially  of  the  army  and  navy,  and 
a  frequented  workshop  for  literary  men  in  all  branches 
of  their  profession.  Thence  has  sprung  the  erection  of 
an  increasing  number  of  private  residences  which  lend 
to  Washington  one  of  its  most  pervading  charms.  A 
majority  of  these  houses  are  to  be  found  in  the  now 
fashionable  West  End,  which  lies  in  front  and  to  the 
left  of  us,  and  which  less  than  thirty  years  ago  was  an 
unattractive  waste  given  over  to  negro  squatters.  To- 
day, as  we  can  see,  its  former  swamps  and  hillocks  are 
covered  with  miles  of  elegant  residences. 

The  work  of  beautifying  the  city  promises  to  con- 
tinue for  many  years  to  come,  and  there  has  lately 


THE    STORY    OF    WASHINGTON  33 

been  perfected  a  most  comprehensive  scheme  for  the 
development  of  its  present  park  system,  to  be  prosecuted 
during  a  long  period,  and  which  will  involve  the  reclam- 
ation of  large  areas  of  swamp  land  along  the  Potomac 
behind  us  and  several  islands  in  that  river.  Broad 
boulevards  are  to  be  cut  through  the  mall  at  our  feet 
and  the  Botanical  Gardens  to  the  right  of  us,  pass  the 
Capitol,  and  swe,ep  around  the  terraced  bank  of  the 
Potomac  to  the  heights  of  the  Anacostia,  from  which 
point  the  park  system,  with  its  boulevards,  will  be  ex- 
tended northward,  skirting  the  city,  to  the  Maryland 
line,  and  then  around  the  semicircle  to  Georgetown. 
Coincident  with  this  work,  it  is  proposed  to  carry  to 
completion  the  present  system  of  streets  and  avenues, 
to  bring  water  into  the  city  to  supply  a  projected  group 
of  fountains,  and  to  indicate  proper  sites  for  additional 
statues  and  public  buildings.  Thus,  many  of  those  who 
with  me  are  now  taking  their  first  view  of  Washington, 
doubtless,  will  live  to  see  it  take  on  a  new  and  surpass- 
ing charm  giving  it  in  beauty  and  outward  attractive- 
ness what  it  already  enjoys  in  political  importance, — 
the  foremost  place  among  the  capitals  of  the  world. 

Almost  within  sight  of  the  capital  which  he  called 
into  being  lie  the  remains  of  Washington,  guarded  by 
a  grateful  people  with  reverence  and  care,  but  no  stone 
marks  I/Enfanfs  grave  at  Bladensburg,  beyond  those 
northern  hills  which  shut  off  our  range  of  vision.  None 
is  needed,  for  the  city  that  he  planned  remains  his 
monument  and  epitaph. 


HOW   TO   SEE   WASHINGTON   THROUGH   THE 
STEREOSCOPE 

First,  move  the  slide,  or  carrier,  which  holds  the  stereograph 
to  the  point  on  the  shaft  of  the  stereoscope  where  the  objects 
in  the  scene  can  be  seen  most  distinctly. 

Second,  have  a  strong  steady  light  on  the  stereograph.  This 
is  often  best  obtainable  by  sitting  with  one  side  to  the  window 
ir  lamp,  letting  the  light  fall  over  the  shoulder. 

Third,  hold  the  stereoscope  with  the  hood  close  against  the 
forehead  and  temples,  shutting  off  entirely  all  immediate  sur- 
roundings. The  more  unconscious  you  are  of  things  close 
about  you,  the  stronger  will  be  your  feelings  of  actual  presence 
in  the  scenes  you  are  studying. 

Fourth,  make  constant  use  of  the  special  patented  maps  in 
the  back  of  this  book.  First,  read  the  statements  in  regard 
to  the  location  on  the  appropriate  maps  of  a  place  you  are 
about  to  see.  Turn  to  the  particular  map  referred  to,  Wash- 
ington, the  Capitol,  or  the  White  House  and  Vicinity,  and  find 
the  encircled  red  number  and  the  diverging  red  lines  which 
show  exactly  what  standpoint  you  are  about  to  take  in  Wash- 
ington through  the  stereoscope  and  what  is  to  be  the  direction 
and  range  of  your  vision.  Then,  as  you  turn  to  the  scene, 
think  intently  of  your  position  in  Washington,  the  direction  in 
which  you  are  looking  and  of  your  surroundings — the  places 
of  importance,  not  only  in  front  of  you,  but  to  your  right  or 
left  or  behind  you.  It  intensifies  one's  experience  greatly  to 
make  hand-motions  or  to  point,  while  keeping  your  head  in  the 
stereoscope,  toward  these  places  of  interest.  Then  read  what- 
ever is  said  about  the.  scene  in  the  handbook.  You  will  need 
to  turn  several  times  from  the  text  to  the  scene  and  vice 
versa  where  there  are  many  details  to  be  discovered. 

Fifth,  do  not  hurry  too  rapidly  from  one  place  to  the  next. 
Don't  think  you  can  really  see  them  all  at  one  sitting.  Better 
visit  a  few  and  read  the  references  and  think  them  over  and 
then  take  a  few  more. 

Remember  that,  while  ordinary  illustrations  usually  supple- 
ment the  text,  in  this  instance  these  stereographed  scenes  of 
Washington  are  the  real  text,  and  all  that  is  said  in  regard  to 
these  scenes  is  only  a  supplement  to  them. 


"WASHINGTON 


One  of  the  most  gratefully  remembered  moments  of 
my  life  was  when  I  saw  Washington  for  the  first  time. 
Since  then  I  have  dwelt  there,  and  have  visited  it  many 
times.  And  now  again,  with  you,  I  am  to  see  our  na- 
tional capital,  and  act  as  your  guide  through  its  streets 
and  to  its  historic  places,  for  with  our  eyes  shut  in  by 
the  hood  of  the  stereoscope  we  may  have  a  distinct  sense 
or  experience  of  location  here  and  there  in  Washington, 
and  be  thrilled  with  many  of  the  same  emotions  one 
would  have  were  he  actually  on  the  spot. 

It  is  necessary,  however,  that  we  should  first  attain 
a  clear  sense  of  our  location  in  each  place  seen  through 
the  stereoscope,  just  where  on  the  earth's  surface  we 
are  standing,  in  which  direction  we  are  looking  and  then 
what  our  surroundings  must  be.  Accordingly,  let  us 
turn  to  our  large  map  of  Washington  (Map  No.  2)  and 
glance  for  a  moment  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner  at 
a  general  map  of  the  United  States.  We  find  that  Wash- 
ington is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  seventy 
miles  from  the  Atlantic.  The  State  of  Maryland  lies 
north  of  it  and  south  of  it  the  State  of  Virginia.  Nortli 
and  east  of  it  at  varying  distances  are  Baltimore,  Phila- 
delphia and  Boston.  St.  Louis  is  a  thousand  miles  to 
the  west,  and  Chicago  an  equal  distance  to  the  north- 
west, so  that  if  we  live  in  the  chief  city  of  the  middle 
West  we  must  journey  a  day  and  a  night  in  order  to 
visit  the  national  capital. 


36  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

These  facts  clearly  and  firmly  fixed  in  our  mind,  let 
us  turn  our  attention  to  the  plan  of  Washington  on  this 
Map  No.  2,  and  locate  the  point  from  which  we  are  to 
take  our  first  view  of  the  city.  Note  a  circle,  with  the 
figure  1  in  it,  both  in  red,  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
south  bank  of  the  Anacostia  River  (just  outside  the 
map  margin).  At  this  place  is  situated  the  National 
Asylum  for  the  Insane.  Notice  also  two  red  lines  which 
start  from  this  point,  and,  spreading  apart,  extend 
toward  the  northwest.  We  are  to  stand  first  at  the 
place  from  which  these  two  lines  diverge,  that  is  in  front 
of  the  National  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  and  look  across 
the  Anacostia  or  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Potomac  at  that 
particular  portion  of  Washington  which  the  lines 
enclose. 

Position  1.     The   Centre   of  the   Nation's   Life,— 

Washington,  N.N.W.,  across  E.  Branch  of 

Miver  to  the  Capitol,  U,S,A. 

And  this  is  Washington!  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years  the  heart  and  nerve-centre  of  our  national  life, 
endeared  by  a  thousand  moving  and  heroic  associations 
to  uncounted  millions  of  men.  Washington  was  its 
founder;  Adams,  Jefferson  and  Madison  were  the  guar- 
dians of  its  struggling  and  doubtful  infancy;  out  there, 
little  over  a  mile  from  us,  Webster,  Clay  and  Calhoun 
won  the  fame  and  did  the  work  that  have  now  become 
an  inseparable  part  of  our  history;  there  began  the  real 
rule  of  the  people  under  Jackson's  masterful  leadership ; 
there  was  waged  the  long  contest  as  to  whether  the 
nation  should  be  bond  or  free;  and  there  centered  the 
desperate  and  finally  successful  struggle  to  save  it  from 
dismemberment. 

Memories  like  these  make  this  city  before  us  part  of 
the  proud  and  precious  heritage  of  every  American ;  and 

Position!.    Map 2. 


THE    WASHINGTON    NAVY    YARD  37 

what  a  goodly  city  it  is  as  we  see  it  now  bathed  in  sun- 
shine !  Directly  before  us,  looming  up  against  the  hori- 
zon, is  the  great  white  dome  of  the  Capitol,  the  stateliest 
home  ever  provided  for  the  lawmakers  of  a  mighty 
people.  A  little  farther  to  the  right  we  discover  the 
dome  of  the  Library  of  Congress,  which  has  already 
become  to  America  what  the  British  Museum  is  to 
England,  what  the  National  Library  is  to  France.  The 
Washington  Monument,  the  most  imposing  single  ob- 
ject of  great  dimensions  erected  by  modern  hands,  and 
the  White  House,  flanked  by  the  State  and  Treasury 
Buildings,  are  situated  outside  the  range  of  our  vision 
on  the  left.  Washington  is  divided  into  four  quarters, 
North  East,  South  East,  North  West  and  South  West, 
whose  corners  come  together  at  the  Capitol.  The  quar- 
ter directly  in  front  of  us  is  known  as  Washington  South 
West,  and  is  occupied  in  the  main  by  working  people. 

Many  of  the  residents  of  Washington  South  West  are 
employed  in  the  Navy  Yard,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  this 
Eastern  Branch  of  the  Potomac.  This  Navy  Yard  is 
nearly  as  old  as  Washington  itself.  It  was  founded  in 
1800,  when  John  Adams  was  President,  but  when,  in 
1814,  the  British  captured  Washington,  the  yard  was 
destroyed  by  fire  to  keep  the  ships  and  supplies  stored 
there  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  invaders.  With 
the  return  of  peace,  however,  work  was  begun  on  new 
buildings  to  replace  those  destroyed  by  the  fire.  When 
steam  began  to  be  used  for  propelling  warships,  engines 
and  other  machinery  were  made  in  the  Navy  Yard. 
Small  shops,  about  the  same  time,  were  built  for  the 
manufacture  of  guns,  and  from  this  modest  beginning 
has  sprung  the  largest  gun  factory  in  America.  Many 
of  the  guns  on  the  ships  which  fought  and  conquered 
in  the  war  against  Spain  were  cast  and  forged  down 
there  by  the  river  bank.    Within  recent  years  a  museum 

Position  1.    Map  2. 


38  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

has  been  established  at  the  Navy  Yard,  in  which  are 
displayed  many  valuable  trophies  of  the  navy,  gathered 
in  time  of  peace  and  war.  The  exhibit  includes  relics 
from  the  Kearsarge,  which  sunk  the  Alabama;  from 
the  Monitor  and  Merrimac,  and  from  many  of  the  ves- 
sels which  engaged  in  the  great  battles  of  the  Civil  "War. 
Could  we  have  stood  here  on  a  September  afternoon 
in  1825  and  looked  down  upon  the  Navy  Yard,  we 
should  have  beheld  an  interesting  and  historic  spec- 
tacle. In  1824  the  venerable  Lafayette,  trusted  com- 
rade of  Washington  and  firm  friend  of  the  republic 
when  it  stood  most  in  need  of  friends,  paid  a  last  visit 
to  America.  He  came  on  the  invitation  of  the  national 
government,  and,  having  visited  every  portion  of  the 
country,  to  be  everywhere  received  with  lively  mani- 
festations of  love  and  respect,  he  came  to  Washington 
to  become  in  fact  the  nation's  guest  at  the  White  House, 
When  on  September  7,  1825,  he  bade  a  final  farewell 
to  America,  a  distinguished  company  gathered  at  the 
White  House  to  take  leave  of  him.  When  all  was  in 
readiness,  President  John  Quincy  Adams  addressed  him 
in  language  signally  eloquent  and  touching,  and  so 
moving  and  pathetic  was  Lafayette's  reply  that  there 
were  few  tearless  eyes  among  those  who  listened  to  his 
words.  Immediately  after  this  scene  Lafayette  left  the 
White  House  and  proceeded  to  the  Navy  Yard.  There 
the  lately  launched  frigate  Brandy  wine,  so  named  in 
grateful  remembrance  of  his  gallant  part  in  one  of  the 
battles  of  the  Revolution,  awaited  his  coming,  and  on 
board  of  it  he  left  America  never  to  return. 

It  was  a  wise  traveller  who  when  ho  visited  a  new 
place  always  sought  to  see  it  from  above.  This  is  what 
wo  have  been  doing,  looking  down  upon  the  central 
part  of  Washington   from  the  high  ground  on  which 

Position  /.     Map  2. 


WASHINGTON    FROM    ARLINGTON  39 

stands  the  National  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  We  shall 
now  move  to  another  eminence,  which  has,  up  to  this 
time,  been  off  to  our  left,  and  look  down  on  Washington 
toward  the  east.  Turn  again  to  our  general  map  of 
Washington.  Near  the  left-hand  limits  of  the  map  we 
find  Arlington  National  Cemetery  set  back  a  little  way 
from  the  bank  of  the  Potomac.  At  the  lower  end  of 
this  cemetery  is  a  circle  enclosing  the  figure  2,  and 
from  this  circle  two  red  lines  branch  out  toward  the 
right,  or  east.  Follow  them,  and  we  find  the  figure  2 
at  the  end  of  each.  We  shall  stand  next  at  the  point 
from  which  these  two  lines  start  and  look  east  over  the 
Potomac  and  all  that  part  of  Washington  lying  betweeTi 
these  lines. 

Position   2.      Washington,    East  from   Arlington, 

across  the  Potomac,— the  Monument,  Capitol, 

and  Library  in  Sight,     U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  the  lower  end  of  Arlington 
National  Cemetery  and  are  looking  east  over  Washing- 
ton. The  thick  foliage  which  makes  beautiful  this 
noble  resting  place  of  the  nation's  dead  hides  much  of 
the  city  from  view,  but  there  to  our  left,  beyond  the 
Potomac,  the  Washington  Monument  rises  before  us, 
while  to  the  right,  though  by  distance  more  faintly  out- 
lined against  the  horizon,  we  descry  the  domes  of  the 
Capitol  and  the  Library  of  Congress.  Fort  Myer  is  to 
our  left,  behind  us  are  the  Virginia  hills,  while  to  our 
right  runs  the  railroad  to  Alexandria  and  Mount  Ver- 
non. All  these  are  hidden  from  view,  yet  it  is  a  noble 
and  unforgetable  scene  that  lies  before  us.  Here  happy 
children  come  to  play;  yonder,  only  a  few  yards  away, 
a  white  marble  cross  marks  the  grave  of  one  of  the 
nation's  bravest  captains.  General  Guy  V.  Henry,  while 
be}<ond  the  silvery,  slow-moving  Potomac  at  our  feet  lies 

Position  2.    Map  2. 


40  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

the  great  city  of  the  living,  wrapt  in  the  soft  haze  of 
an  autumn  noon.  A  longer  view  reveals  new  beauties 
on  every  hand,  but  it  is  to  the  tall  white  shaft  shoot- 
ing up  beyond  the  river  that  the  eye  involuntarily  re- 
turns after  each  study  of  things  far  or  near  at  hand. 
Let  us  cross  to  the  city  and  take  a  closer  view  of  it. 

Turn  again  to  our  general  map  of  Washington.  A 
little  to  the  west  of  its  center  we  find  the  State,  War 
and  Navy  Building,  set  down  in  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  President's  Grounds.  A  circle  at  the  southwest 
end  of  this  building  encloses  the  figure  3,  and  from 
the  circle  a  zigzag  line  runs  to  the  point  where  two  red 
lines  branch  out  to  the  south  and  southeast.  At  the 
end  of  each  of  these  lines  on  the  map  margin  we  find 
the  figure  3.  This  position  is  also  shown  on  Map  No.  4, 
"  White  House  and  Vicinity."  We  are  to  stand  now  at 
the  point  where  the  red  lines  start,  that  is  on  the  roof 
of  the  State  Department,  and  see  the  Monument  and 
that  part  of  Washington  included  between  these  lines. 

Position  3.    From  State  Department  South  over 

Executive  Grounds,  Monument,  and  Potomac 

River,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  now  looking  a  little  east  of  south,  and  here 
right  before  us  is  the  mighty  pile  we  saw  from  the 
heights  on  the  Virginia  shore.  To  the  left  of  the  Monu- 
ment is  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing,  and 
beyond  it  the  Potomac,  shut  in  by  the  Maryland  hills. 
Hidden  from  view  to  our  left,  though  only  a  few  rods 
away,  is  the  White  House;  to  our  right  are  Georgetown 
and  the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  and  behind  us  is 
that  beautiful  portion  of  the  capital  known  as  Washing- 
ton North  West.  Truly  a  fitting  setting  for  the  noble 
column  which  each  moment  claims  a  larger  mode  of 
our  awe  and  admiration,  for  the  Monument  is  like  a 

Position  3.    Maps  2,  4. 


THE    WASHINGTON    MONUMENT  41 

mountain  in  that  it  grows  on  its  beholder.  It  was 
beautiful  when  we  saw  it  from  the  Virginia  shore,  but 
less  stately  and  impressive  in  its  proportions  than  when 
we  view  it  close  at  hand  and  on  approximately  the  level 
of  its  base ;  and  you  will  admit  that  I  spoke  truly  when 
I  said  that  it  was  the  most  imposing  single  object  of 
great  dimensions  erected  by  modern  hands. 

Neither  will  you  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that 
it  was  more  than  an  ordinary  life  time  in  building. 
Indeed,  its  history  proves  the  random  fashion  in  which 
things  often  get  themselves  done  in  this  republic  of 
ours.  The  celebration  in  1832  of  the  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  birth  of  Washington  brought  into  being 
the  Washington  National  Monument  Association,  which 
had  for  its  object  the  erection  of  a  fitting  memorial  to 
the  first  President  here  at  the  capital.  The  original 
plan  for  the  monument  provided  for  a  granite  shaft 
faced  with  white  marble  600  feet  in  height.  Subscrip- 
tions were  asked  for  from  the  country  at  large,  and  at 
the  end  of  fifteen  years  some  $87,000  had  been  contri- 
buted. Then,  a  site  having  been  selected  on  the  Mall 
before  us,  on  the  very  spot  chosen  by  Washington  him- 
self for  a  memorial  of  the  American  Eevolution,  the 
work  of  construction  began,  and  on  Independence  Da}', 
1848,  the  corner-stone  of  the  great  shaft  was  laid. 

Thereafter  the  construction  of  the  Monument  was 
continued  until  1856,  when,  the  funds  of  the  society 
being  exhausted  and  appeals  for  further  contributions 
meeting  with  no  response,  the  work  was  stopped.  Noth- 
ing more  was  done  until  1877,  when  the  completion  of 
the  Monument  was  authorized  by  Congress,  and  Colonel 
Thomas  L.  Casey,  of  the  Engineer  Corps,  was  placed  in 
charge.  Various  changes  of  the  original  plans  were 
made  by  him,  including  the  building  of  an  entire  new 
base.     On  the  completion  of  the  Monument,  early  in 

Position  3.    Maps  2,  4. 


42  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

1885,  Congress  passed  a  resolution  providing  for  suit- 
able dedicatory  ceremonies.  These  were  appropriately 
held  on  Washington's  Birthday  at  the  base  of  the 
Monument,  and  later  in  the  House  of  Representatives, 
the  orator  of  the  occasion,  by  an  equally  happy  inspira- 
tion, being  the  venerable  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  who  when 
Speaker  of  Congress  more  than  a  generation  before  had 
performed  a  similar  service  at  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone. A  few  of  the  words  spoken  by  Mr.  Winthrop 
on  the  earlier  occasion  deserve  to  be  quoted  in  this 
place,  as  we  reflect  upon  the  character  of  the  man  whom 
yonder  shaft  commemorates.  "  Lay  the  corner-stone  of 
a  monument,"  said  he,  "  which  shall  adequately  bespeak 
the  gratitude  of  the  whole  American  people  to  the  il- 
lustrious Father  of  his  Country.  Build  it  to  the  skies; 
you  cannot  outreach  the  loftiness  of  his  principles. 
Found  it  upon  the  massive  and  eternal  rock;  you  can- 
not make  it  more  enduring  than  his  fame.  Construct 
it  of  the  peerless  Parian  marble;  you  cannot  make  it 
purer  than  his  life.  Exhaust  upon  it  the  rules  and 
principles  of  ancient  and  modern  art;  you  cannot  make 
it  more  proportionate  than  his  character." 

The  Monument  before  us  is  the  highest  and  experts 
say  that  it  is  the  best  piece  of  masonry  in  the  world. 
By  a  plumb  line  suspended  from  the  top  of  the  Monu- 
ment in  its  shaft  a  deflection  of  not  more  than  three- 
eights  of  an  inch  has  been  noticed.  The  heat  of  the 
sun,  winch  deflects  Bunker  Hill  Monument  and  alters 
the  length  of  the  great  spans  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge, 
does  not  greatly  disturb  this  wonderful  column.  Its 
walls  at  the  base,  which  are  fifty-five  feet  square,  are 
fifteen  feet  thick.  At  the  fhe-hund red-feet  elevation, 
whore  the  pyramidal  top  begins,  the  walls  are  only 
eighteen  inches  thick  and  about  thirty-five  feet  square. 
In  fact,  it  would  make  a  magnificent  sun-dial.     It  is 

Position  3.    Maps  2,  4. 


THE    BUREAU    OF    ENGRAVING  43 

without  any  inscription  whatever;  it  has  not  locally 
even  a  name,  but  is  simply  known  as  "  the  Monument." 
It  is  only  in  other  cities  that  it  is  the  "  ^Yashington 
Monument." 

The  Monument,  as  I  told  you  a  moment  ago,  is  the 
highest  work  of  masonry  in  the  world,  its  height  from 
base  to  tip  of  pyramid  being  555  feet  and  5-J  inches. 
Lofty  as  is  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  its  top  is 
thirty-seven  feet  nearer  the  earth  than  that  of  the  shaft 
which  shoots  skyward  from  these  beautiful  grounds. 
Indeed,  the  grandeur  of  its  proportions  only  comes  home 
to  us  when  we  compare  it  to  some  object  close  at  hand. 
The  chimney-stack  of  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and 
Printing  over  there  to  our  left  is  more  than  150  feet 
high,  yet  it  seems  a  puny  thing  when  compared  with  its 
giant  neighbor.  The  Bureau  of  Printing  and  Engrav- 
ing itself,  as  you  will  see,  is  a  spacious  and  roomy  struc- 
ture, but  the  overshadowing  Monument  dwarfs  it  into 
insignificance.  However,  it  covers  the  better  part  of 
an  acre  and  nearly  1,500  people  are  employed  within  its 
walls. 

The  Bureau  is  also  one  of  the  most  important  branches 
of  the  public  service,  for  there  are  printed  the  Govern- 
ment bonds  and  the  national  currenc}T,  at  the  rate  of  a 
million  dollars  every  twenty-four  hours,  together  with 
postage  and  revenue  stamps.  Each  bond,  note  and 
stamp  passes  through  the  hands  of  thirty  different 
people,  and  the  poorest  girl  employed  in  that  brick 
pile  handles  enough  money  every  working  day  to  make 
you  and  me  rich  for  life. 

But  again  and  again  the  eye  travels  back  to  the 
Monument,  which  has  the  air  of  a  stately  aristocrat 
standing  proudly  aloof  among  struggling  nobodies.  Note 
that  the  pyramid  which  surmounts  the  shaft  proper  is 

Position  3.    Maps  2,  4. 


44  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

pierced  near  the  base  with  what  dimly  appear  at  this 
distance  to  be  auger  holes.  These  are  port-openings 
or  windows,  two  in  each  face  of  the  pyramid,  and  if  we 
cross  the  Mall,  and,  entering  the  Monument,  climb  the 
stairway  or  take  the  elevator  which  ascends  to  its  top, 
we  shall  be  able  through  these  port-openings  to  command 
unexampled  views  of  Washington  from  all  points  of  the 
compass.  This  we  are  to  do  now.  Turn  once  more  to 
our  general  map  of  Washington.  Thereon  we  find  the 
Monument  set  down  a  little  to  the  south  of  the  White 
House.  Just  north  of  it  a  circle  encloses  the  figure  4, 
with  a  zigzag  line  running  to  the  Monument,  from  which 
two  lines  branch  out  toward  the  north.  Follow  the  two 
lines  to  the  margin  of  the  map  and  we  find  the  figure  4 
at  the  end  of  each  of  them.  We  are  to  take  our  posi- 
tion now  at  the  top  of  the  Monument  and  look  out  over 
all  that  part  of  the  city  which  those  two  red  lines 
include. 

Position  4.     From  Washington  Monument  north, 
White  House,  Treasury,  and  State  Depart- 
ments, Washington,  U.S,A. 

Now  we  are  standing  in  the  top  of  the  Monument 
and  are  looking  north.  What  a  noble  prospect,  for  the 
most  interesting  portion  of  Washington  is  lying  at  our 
feet.  There,  500  feet  below  us,  is  the  White  House, 
flanked  on  the  right  or  east  by  the  Treasury  Building, 
and  on  the  left  or  West  by  the  State,  War  and  Navy 
Building.  Farther  to  our  right,  two  and  a  half  miles 
away,  is  the  Capitol,  and  to  our  left  is  Georgetown, 
while  the  Potomac  and  Virginia  are  behind  us.  Be- 
yond the  northern  hills,  which  limit  our  range  of  vision 
in  front,  is  Maryland,  and  then  central  Pennsylvania. 
All  these  are  hidden  from  view,  but  a  multitude  of 
things  demand  our  attention  in  the  scene  immediately 

Position  4.    Map  2. 


HISTORIC    LAFAYETTE    SQUARE  45 

before  us.  Behind  the  White  House,  wholly  hidden  by 
the  trees,  is  Lafayette  Square,  where  some  of  the  most 
famous  men  in  our  history  have  had  their  homes.  The 
shaded  thoroughfare  running  north  from  Lafayette 
Square  is  Sixteenth  Street,  and  the  diagonal  thorough- 
fares which  flank  it,  the  one  on  the  east  and  the  other 
on  the  west,  are  Vermont  and  Connecticut  Avenues. 
Where  Vermont  Avenue  has  its  beginning  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Lafayette  Square,  facing  both  Vermont 
Avenue  and  H  Street,  is  the  Arlington  Hotel,  the  ren- 
dezvous of  many  public  men,  and  to  the  right  of  that, 
in  the  rear  of  the  Treasury  Building,  is  the  Shoreham 
Hotel,  for  the  section  of  Washington  before  us  is  the 
one  most  frequented  by  strangers. 

Peeping  above  the  trees,  on  the  north  of  Lafayette 
Square,  we  see  the  picturesque  spire  of  St.  John's 
Church,  with  a  single  exception  the  oldest  church  in 
Washington.  One  of  the  pews  is  set  apart  for  the 
President,  and  it  is  sometimes  called  the  Church  of 
State.  Just  across  Sixteenth  Street  from  old  St.  John's 
we  see  the  roof  of  the  residence  of  Secretary  of  State 
John  Hay,  one  of  the  lordly  homes  of  Washington. 
Turning  again  to  the  right,  we  descry  a  tall  building 
facing  Lafayette  Square  from  the  rear  of  the  Treasury 
Building,  with  many  windows  on  the  top  floor.  That 
is  the  Lafayette  Square  Opera  House,  and  the  plot  of 
ground  which  it  occupies  is  rich  in  historic  associa- 
tions, for  until  1895  it  was  the  site  of  the  most  sorrow- 
ful, perhaps  the  most  notable,  of  all  Washington  man- 
sions. The  house  in  question  was  built  by  Commodore 
Eodgers.  Roger  Taney  lived  there  after  its  builder's 
death.  There  William  H.  Seward  had  his  home  when 
Secretary  of  State,  and  there  he  was  attacked  by  the 
assassin  Payne  on  the  fatal  14th  of  April,  1865,  and 
received  wounds  that  he  carried  to  his  grave.     There, 

Position  4.    Map  2, 


46  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

too,  Seward  saw  his  wife  and  daughter  die.  Later  still 
the  house  was  occupied  by  another  Secretary  of  State, 
James  G.  Blaine,  who  there  reached  the  end  of  his  bit- 
ter, splendid  life.  There  death  took  away  within  two 
months  Blaine's  daughter  and  his  oldest  son,  his  last 
and  greatest  political  aspiration  came  to  naught,  and 
a  second  son  followed  the  first  to  the  grave.  Finally 
the  great  Secretary,  broken  in  spirit,  took  to  his  bed, 
and,  in  1893,  died  in  the  same  room  where  Payne  made 
his  dastardly  attack  on  Seward. 

Now  let  us  turn,  and  from  our  lofty  eyrie  look  out 
over  another  portion  of  Washington.  Once  again  lo- 
cating the  Monument  on  our  general  map  of  Washing- 
ton, we  find  the  two  red  lines  which  extend  from  it  in 
a  southeasterly  direction  to  the  lower  map  margin,  hav- 
ing there  the  figure  5  at  the  end  of  each  of  them.  Thus 
we  know  precisely  what  part  of  the  city  we  are  to  look 
upon. 

Position  5.    From  Washington  Monument,  south 
along  Wharves  and  Potomac  River, 
Washington,  U.S,A. 

Now  we  are  looking  south  from  the  Monument,  and 
how  different  is  the  scene  spread  out  at  our  feet  from 
the  one  upon  which  we  were  gazing  only  a  moment  ago. 
The  island  down  there  to  our  right  is  land  reclaimed 
from  the  Potomac,  and  soon  to  be  converted  into  a  pub- 
lic park,  while  the  stretch  of  water  which  separates  it 
from  the  mainland  is  Washington  Channel.  Beyond 
the  tip  of  the  island  are  the  hills  of  Maryland,  while 
that  point  of  land  jutting  out  into  the  river  on  our 
left  furnishes  a  site  for  the  Government  arsenal  and 
barracks.  The  Capitol  is  on  our  left,  Analostan  Island 
on  our  right  and  behind  us  the  White  House.     These 

Poaitlon  4,  5.    Map  2. 


THE    FAMOUS    LONG    BRIDGE  47 

we  cannot  see,  but  before  us  are  a  hundred  proofs  that 
we  are  on  the  waterfront  of  a  great  city,  though  one 
not  given  to  manufactures,  for  the  steamers  which  we 
see  warped  to  the  wharfs  are  all  passenger  vessels  ply- 
ing between  Washington  and  Mount  Vernon,  Norfolk 
and  other  points  on  the  Potomac  and  Chesapeake.  Note 
the  bridge  down  there  on  our  right  which  joins  island 
with  mainland.  That  is  the  famous  Long  Bridge, 
which  connects  Washington  with  the  Virginia  shore, 
and  no  structure  of  the  same  sort  has  played  a  larger 
part  in  history.  Could  we  have  stood  here  forty  odd 
years  ago  we  should  have  seen  uncounted  regiments 
marching  over  that  bridge  and  into  the  Civil  War,  or  a 
little  later  we  should  have  beheld  the  bronzed  and  battle- 
scarred  survivors  returning  by  the  same  route  to  take 
part  in  the  grand  review  which  marked  the  close  of  the 
greatest  military  struggle  of  modern  times. 

It  was  across  Long  Bridge  down  yonder  that  Julia 
Ward  Howe  drove  on  an  autumn  day  in  1861  for  the 
visit  to  a  review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  encamped 
on  the  Virginia  hills,  which  gave  birth  to  her  match- 
less "  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Kepublic."  As  she  and  her 
companions  drove  back  into  Washington  over  that  very 
bridge,  Mrs.  Howe,  to  beguile  the  time,  began  to  sing 
"  John  Brown's  Body."  Then -she  spoke  to  her  friends 
in  the  carriage  of  a  cherished  desire  to  write  some 
words  of  her  own  that  might  be  sung  to  the  stirring 
tune,  but  added  that  she  feared  that  she  would  never 
be  able  to  do  it.  She  lay  down  that  night  with  her 
head  full  of  thoughts  of  battle,  and  awoke  before  dawn 
the  next  morning  to  find  the  desired  verses  swiftly  tak- 
ing shape  in  her  mind.  When  she  had  thought  out  the 
last  of  five  stanzas,  she  sprang  from  her  bed,  and  in 
the  dim,  gray  light  found  a  pen  and  paper,  whereon 
she  wrote,  scarcely  seeing  them,  the  lines  of  the  poem. 

Position  S.    Map  2. 


48  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Keturning  to  her  couch,  she  was  presently  asleep,  but 
not  until  she  said  to  herself,  "  I  like  this  better  than 
anything  I  have  ever  written,"  a  verdict  in  which  she 
has  been  sustained  by  the  world,  for  her  lines  have  in 
them  the  very  breath  of  a  heroic  time,  and  of  the 
feeling  with  which  it  was  filled. 

BATTLE  HYMN  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord: 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath 

are  stored; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fatal  lightning  of  His  terrible  swift  sword: 
His  truth  is  marching  on. 

I   have    seen   Him   in   the   watch-fires    of   a   hundred   circling 

camps; 
They   have  builded  Him   an   altar  in   the   evening  dews   and 

damps; 
I   can  read  His   righteous   sentence   by   the   dim   and   flaring 

lamps; 

His  day  is  marching  on. 

I  have  read  a  fiery  gospel  writ  in  burnished  rows  of  steel: 
"  As  ye  deal  with  My  contemners  so  with  you  My  grace  shall 

deal; 
Let  the  Hero,  born  of  woman,  crush  the  serpent  with  his  heel! 
Since  God  is  marching  on." 

He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat: 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment  seat; 
Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him;  be  jubilant,  my  feet! 
Our  God  is  marching  on. 

In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born,  across  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me: 
As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free, 
While  God  is  marching  on. 

The  scene  before  us  recalls  other  stirring  memories 
of  the  war  time.     Within  the  walls  of  the  arsenal,  on 


Position  S.    Map  2. 


A    MEMORABLE    TRIAL  49 

that  point  of  land  over  there  at  the  month  of  Wash- 
ington Channel,  occurred  the  trial  of  those  concerned 
with  Booth  in  the  murder  of  President  Lincoln,  and 
there  Payne,  who  attempted  the  life  of  Secretary 
Seward;  Atzerot,  who  had  been  selected  to  assassinate 
Vice-President  Johnson,  but  whose  nerve  failed  him 
at  the  last  moment,  and  Herold,  who  accompanied 
Booth  in  his  flight  after  the  murder  of  Lincoln,  died 
upon  the  gallows.  There  also  a  like  fate  was  meted 
out  to  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Surratt,  whose  execution  has  often 
been  denounced  by  many  well-meaning  people  as  a  judi- 
cial murder.  Those  who  have  made  a  careful  study 
of  the  documents  in  the  case,  however,  hold  a  different 
view.  Booth  and  his  associates  had  held  their  meetings 
at  her  house  in  Washington;  she  had  had  repeated  in- 
terviews with  Booth  on  the  day  of  Lincoln's  murder, 
and  these  facts,  with  other  evidence,  were  regarded  by 
her  judges  as  conclusive  proof  that  she  was  accessory 
before  the  fact  to  the  assassination  of  the  President. 

If  from  our  point  of  vantage  here  in  the  top  of  the 
Monument  we  look  now  upon  another  portion  of  Wash- 
ington, we  shall  have  before  us  the  setting  of  that 
strange  terrific  tragedy.  Turning  to  the  general  map 
of  Washington,  we  find  two  red  lines  branching  north- 
east from  the  Monument,  and  having  the  figure  6  at 
each  end  of  them  on  the  map  margins.  These  lines 
show  the  limits  of  our  next  field  of  vision. 

Position  6.    From  Washington  Monument,  north- 
east, past  General  Post-office  and  other  Govern- 
ment Buildings,   Washington,  D.  C, 

Xow  we  are  looking  northeast  from  the  Monument 
over  the  busiest  section  of  Washington.  Directly  below 
us  is  the  towering  Post-office  Building,  set  down  at  the 

Positions,  6.    Map 2. 


50  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

corner  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  Twelfth  Street. 
The  great  white  structure  which  we  see  beyond  and  left 
of  it,  covering  a  block,  is  the  Department  of  the  Inte- 
rior, popularly  known  as  the  Patent  Office,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Ninth  and  F  Streets  (see  Map).  The  wide- 
spreading  red  pile  which  towers  above  its  neighbors  in 
the  distance  to  the  right  is  the  Pension  Office,  at  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  F  Streets.  The  Potomac  is  behind 
us;  hidden  from  our  view  on  our  right  and  left  are  the 
Capitol  and  White  House,  and  on  the  distant  hill  on 
our  right  is  the  Columbian  Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes, 
one  of  the  first  institutions  of  its  kind  set  afoot  in 
America.  Ten  miles  away  in  that  direction  is  Bladens- 
burg,  the  scene  of  our  defeat  by  the  British,  the  day 
before  they  came  here  to  destroy  the  city.  Forty  miles 
away  in  that  direction  is  Baltimore,  and  nearly  a  hun- 
dred miles  farther  away  is  Philadelphia. 

Let  us  look  again  at  the  Post-office  Building  directly 
before  us.  A  block  north  of  the  Patent  Office  we  descry 
the  steeple  of  a  church — Calvary  Baptist  Church  at  the 
corner  of  Eighth  and  H  Streets.  A  bird  flying  from 
the  tower  of  the  Post-office  Building  to  the  spire  of 
Calvary  Baptist  Church  would  pass  midway  in  its  flight 
directly  over  the  roof  of  Ford's  Theatre,  which  faces 
Tenth  Street  midway  between  E  and  F  Streets.  At 
midday  of  April  14,  1865,  there  was  loitering  before 
the  old  theatre,  then  the  principal  playhouse  in  Wash- 
ington, a  handsome  young  actor,  by  name  John  Wilkes 
Booth,  a  name  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  stage,  but 
destined  by  its  bearer  to  be  made  before  the  day's  end 
the  most  sinister  in  our  history.  Wilkes  Booth,  as  his 
intimates  called  him,  was  then  twenty-six  years  old, 
and  as  an  actor  gave  promise  of  being  the  equal  of  his 
father  and  older  brother.  He  was,  however,  of  an  un- 
toward  disposition,  verging  often  upon  madness,  and 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


MURDER    OF    LINCOLN  51 

given  to  violent  excesses  of  every  kind.  He  was  a  fan- 
atical supporter  of  the  Southern  cause,  and  during  the 
previous  month,  as  it  came  out  afterwards,  had  been 
the  master-spirit  in  a  plot  to  kidnap  the  President  and 
carry  him  into  the  Confederate  lines.  Among  Booth's 
associates  in  this  kidnapping  was  David  E.  Herold,  a 
Washington  drug-clerk;  George  Atzerot,  a  German 
coach-painter,  and  Lewis  Payne,  an  ex-Confederate 
soldier. 

The  plot  failed,  through  no  fault  of  the  conspirators, 
but  Booth  lingered  in  Washington,  and  at  midday  of 
April  14th  appeared  out  there  at  Ford's  Theatre,  where 
he  was  informed  that  the  President  and  General  Grant, 
with  their  wives,  were  to  attend  the  play  that  evening. 
An  insane  impulse  to  kill  Lincoln  had,  doubtless,  found 
a  lodging  in  his  thoughts  through  the  failure  of  his 
abduction  plot,  and  this  now  took  instant  shape  in  the 
face  of  the  opportunity  chance  held  out  to  him.  Dur- 
ing the  afternoon  he  effected  a  meeting  with  Herold, 
who  agreed  to  join  him  in  the  flight  which  must  fol- 
low his  attempt  on  the  President's  life.  Then  he  sought 
and  found  Payne  and  Atzerot,  who,  it  was  arranged, 
should  attempt  the  life  of  Secretary  Seward  and  Vice- 
President  Johnson  at  the  same  time  that  their  leader 
struck  down  the  President  and  General  Grant. 

The  President  and  his  party  reached  the  theatre  about 
half-past  eight  o'clock,  but  without  General  and  Mrs. 
Grant,  who  had  decided  to  go  North  that  night.  Amid 
the  cheers  of  a  great  audience  they  made  their  way  to 
an  upper  box  at  the  left  of  the  stage,  and  the  actors 
went  on  with  the  play.  Half  an  hour  later,  Booth  stole 
through  the  streets  at  our  feet  and  reappeared  at  the 
theatre,  having  first  committed  the  horse  he  had  pro- 
cured for  his  flight  to  the  care  of  a  boy  stationed  in 
an  alley  at  the  rear  of  the  building.     The  actors  had 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


62  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

reached  the  second  scene  of  the  third  act  of  "  The 
American  Cousin/'  when  Booth,  who  was  a  privileged 
person  to  the  attendants  of  the  theatre,  passed  behind 
the  seats  of  the  dress  circle  and  approached  the  passage 
to  the  President's  box.  A  moment  later  he  opened  and 
entered  the  door  leading  from  the  passage  to  the  box. 

He  had  a  pistol  in  his  right  hand,  and  moved  so  cau- 
tiously that  no  one  heard  him.  The  President  was 
sitting  in  a  large  arm-chair  at  the  left  of  the  box,  with 
bowed  head,  intent  upon  the  play.  Booth  crept  up 
within  a  foot  of  his  chair,  took  aim  at  his  head  and 
fired.  Major  Eathbone,  the  President's  only  male  com- 
panion, sprang  to  his  feet  at  the  sound  of  the  shot  and 
grappled  with  the  intruder,  only  to  receive  a  blow  from 
the  dagger  which  Booth  now  held  in  his  hand.  Eath- 
bone's  hold  relaxed,  and  Booth,  appearing  at  the  front 
of  the  box,  vaulted  the  railing.  A  stirrup  on  his  boot 
caught  in  the  draperies  of  the  box,  and  he  fell  heavily 
to  the  stage  below,  a  distance  of  fourteen  feet.  His 
left  leg  bent  and  a  bone  snapped  as  he  struck  the  floor, 
but  he  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  and,  facing  the 
wondering  house,  shouted,  "The  South  is  avenged!" 
Then  he  turned  and  disappeared  behind  the  scenes.  A 
moment  later  he  mounted  his  horse  in  the  rear  of  the 
theatre,  and  began  the  headlong  flight  through  the 
streets  over  there  to  our  right  which  was  to  end  with 
his  death  on  April  27th  in  a  burning  barn  in  Virginia. 

A  full  realization  of  the  tragedy  that  had  befallen 
now  burst  upon  the  audience.  Without  delay  a  stretcher 
was  brought  in,  and  the  unconscious  and  dying  Lincoln 
carried  from  the  theatre  to  a  room  in  a  lodging-house 
across  the  way;  while  those  in  the  theatre  rushed  forth 
to  carry  the  news  throughout  the  city  at  our  feet.  Thus 
news  of  the  tragedy  spread  with  the  swiftness  of  the 
wind,  and  as  it  spread  met  other  news  which  doubled 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


DEATH    OF    LINCOLN  53 

the  horror  of  that  awful  night.  Vice-President  John- 
son was  scathless,  for  Atzerot's  nerve  had  failed  him 
at  the  last  moment,  .  but  Payne,  endowed  with  more 
brute  courage,  had  stolen  through  the  streets  to  our 
left,  and,  gaining  admission  to  the  house  of  Secretary 
Seward  on  Lafayette  Square,  turned  it  into  a  human 
shambles.  Seward's  two  sons  were  wounded  by  the 
intruder  when  they  sought  to  stay  his  progress,  while 
their  father,  who  was  ill  in  bed,  received  three  stabs 
from  an  ugly  knife,  as  a  result  of  which  his  life  hung 
for  weeks  by  a  thread.  Then  Payne  succeeded  in  making 
his  escape,  only  to  be  speedily  captured,  along  with  At- 
zerot  and  Herold,  and  to  pay,  in  due  time,  the  penalty 
of  his  crime. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  lodging-house  over  there  in  Tenth 
Street,  the  night  slowly  waned  into  morning,  with  no 
perceptible  change  in  the  condition  of  the  unconscious 
President.  Soon  after  daylight,  however,  the  breath- 
ing became  easier  and  the  features  took  on  a  more  peace- 
ful expression.  "  Symptoms  of  immediate  dissolu- 
tion/' ran  the  bulletin  issued  at  seven  o'clock,  and 
twenty-two  minutes  later  Lincoln  died.  "  Xow  he  be- 
longs to  the  ages,"  said  Secretary  Stanton,  breaking  the 
solemn  silence  which  followed  the  announcement  that 
the  great  heart  had  ceased  to  beat.  There  was  a  prayer, 
and  then,  one  by  one,  the  watchers  withdrew,  and  the 
dead  was  left  alone.  Two  hours  later  the  body  of  the 
President  was  borne  to  the  AVhite  House,  where  it  lay 
until  Monday  night.  It  was  then  placed  in  the  casket 
prepared  for  it,  and  laid  in  the  centre  of  the  great  East 
Room.  The  following  morning  the  public  were  ad- 
mitted to  view  the  face  of  the  dead.  All  day  long  a 
sorrowing,  tearful  throng  surged  past  the  bier,  and 
when  the  gates  were  closed  at  night  Lafayette  Square 


Position  6.    Map  2. 


54  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

and  the  streets  around  it  were  still  packed  with  people 
waiting  for  admission. 

The  funeral  was  held  at  the  noon  hour  of  Wednesday, 
and  then  the  body  was  borne  through  the  streets  before 
us  to  the  Capitol  and  placed  under  the  dome  of  the 
rotunda.  There,  after  a  brief  service,  it  was  left  alone, 
save  only  for  a  guard  of  soldiers;  but  on  Thursday  the 
Capitol  was  opened,  and  again,  as  on  Tuesday,  from 
dawn  until  nightfall,  a  steadily  lengthening  throng  paid 
to  the  dead  its  last  tribute  of  affection  and  respect. 
Finally,  in  the  early  morning  of  Friday,  April  22d,  the 
coffin  was  carried  from  the  Capitol,  through  streets 
lined  with  another  uncovered  multitude,  to  the  railway 
station,  where  it  was  placed  in  the  funeral  car  of  the 
train  which  was  to  convey  the  remains  from  Washing- 
ton to  Springfield.  Sharply  at  eight  o'clock  the  train 
left  Washington;  and  so  the  Great  Emancipator  took 
silent  farewell  of  the  capital  he  had  helped  to  make 
glorious.  Ford's  Theatre  is  now  used  for  business  pur- 
poses; but  the  house  across  the  way  in  which  the  Presi- 
dent died  contains  a  collection  of  Lincoln  relics. 

Let  us  turn  now  from  the  tragic  past  to  the  busy 
present.  Few  of  those  who  daily  pass  that  Post-office 
Building  take  thought  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the  centre 
of  the  greatest  business  concern  in  the  world.  Yet 
such  is  the  case,  for  the  postal  establishment  of  the 
United  States  employs  more  men  and  women  than 
any  other  government  or  corporation.  Only  one  cor- 
poration— a  combination  of  railways — earns  and  dis- 
burses as  much  as  the  Post-office  Department,  nor  does 
any  branch  of  the  Government  come  into  as  close  con- 
tact with  the  average  citizen.  Perhaps,  to  the  layman, 
the  most  interesting  phase  of  the  many-sided  activities 
carried  on  under  the  roof  of  that  gray  stone  structure 
is  the  handling  of  the  mail  matter  which  finds  its  way 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


THE    DEAD    LETTER    OFFICE 


55 


to  the  Dead  Letter  Office  on  the  second  floor.  This 
consists,  in  the  main,  of  unclaimed  letters,  and  of  let- 
ters which  cannot  be  sent  anywhere  else,  owing  to  the 
illegibility  of  the  address  or  to  the  lack  of  something 
apparently  essential  to  delivery.  The  experts  of  the 
Dead  Letter  Office,  most  of  whom  are  women,  are  often 
called  upon  not  only  to  decipher  the  scrawls  on  an 
envelope,  but  to  supply  the  name  of  the  town  which  the 
correspondent  has  omitted.  Thousands  of  other  letters 
bear  simply  the  name  of  the  person  addressed  and  the 
State  in  which  he  lives,  while  others  omit  even  the 
State;  in  spite  of  which  omissions  they  are  commonly 
sent  to  their  proper  destination. 

In  the  Dead  Letter  Office  there  are  destroyed  every 
year  more  than  four  million  letters  containing  no  en- 
closures, which  cannot  be  returned  to  writers.  It  de- 
stroys also  a  great  quantity  of  letters  and  parcels  con- 
taining matter  classed  as  unmailable.  Many  hundreds 
of  sealed  envelopes  under  letter  postage  are  found  to 
contain  lottery  circulars,  and  these,  of  course,  are  de- 
stroyed immediately.  Green  goods  circulars  are  found 
in  some  envelopes,  and  these,  if  they  cannot  be  of 
value  to  the  police  in  tracing  the  swindlers,  are  destroyed 
also.  Then  there  are  animals,  and  bugs,  and  bottles 
of  liquid,  and  all  sorts  of  things  which  under  the  postal 
regulations  are  not  to  be  carried  in  the  mails.  Alli- 
gators, and  snakes,  and  butterflies,  and  bugs  of  all  kinds 
are  constantly  coming  and  going  through  the  mails. 
At  one  time  there  was  a  craze  for  chameleons,  and  thou- 
sands of  these  little  lizards  were  mailed  in  the  South 
to  addresses  all  over  the  United  States;  and  since  they 
were  comparatively  harmless  alive  or  dead  no  great  ef- 
fort was  made  to  stop  the  business.  But  it  happens  not 
infrequently  that  in  the  Dead  Letter  Office  an  exceed- 
ingly lively  snake  or  an  offensively  dead  animal  comes 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


56  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

to  light.  The  most  undesirable  package  ever  received 
came  from  the  West.  It  was  a  perforated  tin  can  and 
contained  seventeen  rattlesnakes.  Fifteen  of  them  were 
alive  and  ready  for  business,  but  two  of  them  had  failed 
to  survive  their  trip.  The  clerk  who  opened  the  pack- 
age happened  to  have  just  returned  from  a  spree,  and 
his  nerves  were  a  trifle  unsteady.  As  the  vicious  rep- 
tiles rolled  out,  he  simply  said: 

"  I've  got  'em  again !  " 

The  alarm  of  the  rest  of  the  clerks,  however,  soon 
convinced  him  that  he  was  dealing  with  genuine  snakes. 

Another  branch  of  the  Government  whose  influence  is 
felt  in  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  land  is  the  Pension 
Building  in  the  distance  to  our  right,  at  Fourth  and 
F  Streets,  a  building  of  such  huge  dimensions  that  at 
the  inauguration  balls  which  are  held  there  18,000 
people  have  been  gathered  within  its  walls.  Five  thou- 
sand clerks,  many  a  one  wearing  the  bronze  button  of 
the  veteran,  are  employed  there,  and  from  it  is  yearly 
disbursed  upwards  of  $150,000,000  in  pensions  for  those 
who  fought  in  our  several  wars,  or  their  widows  and 
orphans.  The  rolls  stored  in  that  building  contain 
nearly  a  million  names,  whose  bearers  are  distributed 
all  over  the  world.  Even  on  far  St.  Helena,  where 
Napoleon  died,  there  is  a  man  who  draws  $1-41  a  year 
from  the  United  States.  There  are  415  veterans  in  Ire- 
land, who  annually  get  over  $60,000  from  this  country. 
In  distant  Siam  there  are  two  others,  and  in  every 
continent  are  American  pensioners.  There  are  now  on 
the  pension  roll  several  widows  and  daughters  of  Eevo- 
lutionary  soldiers,  nearly  2,000  widows  of  the  soldiers 
of  the  War  of  1812,  between  5,000  and  6,000  survivors 
and  widows  of  the  Indian  wrars  and  over  17,000  survivors 
and  widows  of  the  Mexican  War.  Yet  so  perfect  is  the 
system  in  force  within  that  building  that  within  five 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


THE    PENSION    OFFICE  57 

minutes  after  inquiry  the  entire  record  of  a  pension 
case  may  be  put  before  one. 

Let  me  tell  you  something  about  the  building  in 
which  this  immense  business  in  transacted  and  which 
lies  before  us.  It  is  the  largest  brick  structure  in  the 
world,  and  its  roof  covers  two  acres  of  ground.  It  is 
made  of  red  pressed  brick,  a  mighty  three-story  struc- 
ture with,  as  you  see,  a  great  glass  roof  rising  tier  by 
tier  over  it,  and  consists  of  a  series  of  big  rooms  around 
a  great  central  court.  This  court  is  much  like  the 
court  of  St.  Mark's  in  Venice,  save  that  St.  Mark's 
has  only  the  Italian  sky  to  roof  it,  while  the  Pension 
Court  is  protected  from  the  cold  by  a  sky  of  glass,  and 
its  glass  roof  is  upheld  by  eighty  brick  columns  higher 
than  any  city  house  outside  of  a  flat  and  thicker  than 
any  tree  in  America  outside  of  California.  Each  of 
these  columns  contains  enough  brick  to  build  two  good 
sized  houses,  and  in  the  ages  of  the  future  they  may 
stand  here  like  obelisks  when  the  rest  of  the  building 
has  crumbled  into  ruins. 

Around  this  great  court  are  arcades  rising  gallery 
above  gallery  and  opening  out  from  the  three  stories 
of  rooms.  Some  of  the  columns  of  these  are  gilded  or 
bronzed.  The  finish  of  the  court,  the  columns  and  the 
walls  is  in  white,  the  diamond  glass  roof  is  set  in  framed 
mosaic  of  yellow  and  the  acre  of  floor  is  of  colored  tiles. 
In  the  centre  of  the  court  a  great  fountain  sends  up 
a  silvery  spray,  and  the  whole  is  one  of  the  curiosities 
of  architecture.  It  was  in  this  building  that  the  last 
five  inaugural  balls  were  held,  and  it  is  here  that  all 
the  great  balls  of  the  future  Presidents  will  be  cele- 
brated. At  the  present  the  floor  is  filled  with  great 
cases  of  files,  and  you  may  walk  for  a  mile  in  and  out 
through  the  aisles  surrounded  by  them. 

These  old  papers  contain  the  names  of  the  most  noted 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


58  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

men  of  our  history.  Blaine's  great-grandmother  got  a 
pension,  and  Grant  and  Lincoln  received  land  for  their 
services  in  the  Mexican  and  Black  Hawk  Wars.  Robert 
E.  Lee  got  160  acres  of  land  for  the  work  he  did  as 
a  colonel  in  our  war  with  Mexico,  and  Jefferson  Davis 
received  the  same  amount  for  his  services.  Mrs.  Gar- 
field, Mrs.  Harrison  and  Mrs.  McKinley  are  the  only 
Presidents'  wives  who  now  receive  pensions.  They  get 
$5,000  a  year  by  a  special  act  of  Congress.  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln got  $3,000  a  year  from  1870  to  1882.  The  amount 
was  then  increased  to  $5,000,  and  this  continued  until 
her  death. 

The  daughter  of  President  Taylor  gets  fifty  dollars  a 
month,  and  she  receives  this  for  her  father's  services 
in  the  Mexican  War.  Among  the  noted  widows  of 
generals  of  the  Civil  War  who  receive  pensions  are 
those  of  Banks,  Gresham,  Custer,  Anderson,  Casey,  Gib- 
bon, Kilpatrick  and  Warren.  Mrs.  John  A.  Logan  re- 
ceives forty  dollars  a  week  by  a  special  act  of  Congress, 
and  there  are  a  number  of  other  soldiers'  widows  who 
have  been  pensioned  in  the  same  wTay. 

In  the  rear  of  the  Pension  Office,  and  to  the  extreme 
right  of  our  range  of  vision,  we  see  the  seven-storied 
Government  Printing  Office,  which  annually  produces 
millions  of  documents.  The  building's  floor  space  cov- 
ers upward  of  nine  acres,  and  no  printing  office  in  the 
world  is  so  well  appointed,  or  has  so  many  comforts 
and  conveniences  for  its  employes.  Under  that  great 
roof  upon  which  we  are  gazing  are  represented  nearly 
all  branches  of  the  printer's  art.  Every  sort  of  jobbing 
is  done;  illustrated  books  are  published;  some  of  the 
reports,  indeed,  are  equal  to  monthly  magazines,  and 
even  the  daily  newspaper  is  represented  in  The  Con* 
gressional  Record.  Orders  are  taken  for  millions  of 
blanks  at  a  time,  for  the  printing  office  supplies  them 

Position  6.    Map  2. 


GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE  59 

to  every  custom  house,  land  office,  internal  revenue  of- 
fice, pension  agency,  post-office,  Navy,  War,  consular 
and  diplomatic  office  in  the  service  of  the  United  States. 
All  the  pay-rolls,  officers'  commissions,  men's  discharges, 
millions  of  envelopes  for  use  at  the  Capitol,  census 
blanks,  scientific  works  and  reports  of  geographical  and 
gealogical  surveys — all  these  and  more  are  sent  out. 

Many  books  are  printed,  one  of  the  largest  being  the 
records  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  volumes  having  already  been  published.  One 
of  the  most  interesting  features  is  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  work  can  be  accomplished,  as  a  great  deal 
of  it  is  Congressional,  and  everything  depends  upon  the 
promptness  with  which  it  is  finished.  Often  a  piece 
of  work  reaches  the  proofreading  room  an  hour  after 
the  copy  reaches  the  compositors'  hands,  as  it  often 
occurs  that  a  hundred  or  more  men  are  put  upon  one 
piece  of  work,  and  a  great  deal  of  it  is  done  at  night. 
The  most  striking  illustration  of  recent  execution  of 
hurried  orders  was  the  printing  of  the  message  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  transmitting  the  report  of  the  Naval 
Court  of  Inquiry  upon  the  destruction  of  the  battleship 
Maine.  The  publication  consisted  of  298  pages  of  read- 
ing matter,  with  twenty-four  full-page  engravings  and 
one  lithograph  in  colors,  and  although  the  originals  of 
the  illustrations  were  not  in  possession  of  the  office 
until  3  p.m.,  March  28,  1898,  and  the  manuscript  was 
not  received  until  6  p.m.  of  the  same  day,  complete 
copies  in  paper  covers  were  placed  upon  the  desks  of 
Senators  and  Representatives  by  ten  o'clock  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

Two  other  points  of  interest  claim  our  attention  in 
the  scene  before  us.  Xotice  the  smokestack  here  at  our 
feet.  A  mile  off  there  to  the  left,  but  directly  in  line 
with  this  smokestack,  we  descry  the  steeple  of  St.  Paul's 

Position  6.    Map  a. 


60  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

(Lutheran)  Church,  at  Eleventh  and  H  Streets,  where 
President  Eoosevelt  worships  when  in  Washington. 
Again,  two  blocks  in  the  rear  and  to  the  right  of  this 
church  is  Mount  Vernon  Square,  where  is  rising  the 
splendid  public  library  which  Andrew  Carnegie  has 
given  to  Washington. 

Let  us  turn  now  to  another  point  of  the  compass  and 
take  our  last  view  of  Washington  from  the  Monument. 
Consulting  our  general  map  of  the  city,  we  find  two 
red  lines  spreading  eastward  from  the  Monument  and 
having  the  figure  7  at  the  end  of  each.  We  are  to  view 
the  portion  of  Washington  included  between  these  lines. 

Position  7.     From  Washington  Monument  east, 

over  Agricultural  Grounds  to  the  Capitol, 

Washington,  U,S.A, 

We  are  now  looking  practically  east  from  the  Monu- 
ment, and  again  an  interesting  and  inspiring  section 
of  the  city  is  spread  before  us.  Directly  in  front  of  us, 
in  the  order  named,  are  the  grounds  and  buildings  of 
the  Agricultural  Department,  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution and  the  National  and  Medical  Museums  (see 
Map),  while  over  there  to  the  left  is  the  Capitol,  with 
the  Library  of  Congress  in  the  rear.  Hidden  from 
view  on  our  left  is  the  White  House,  and  behind  us  and 
on  our  right  is  the  Potomac.  There  is  much  to  interest 
the  visitor  beneath  the  roof  of  the  Agricultural  Building, 
the  nearest  building  down  on  our  right — there,  among 
other  things,  one  can  see  silk  in  all  stages  of  develop- 
ment, from  silk  worms  to  a  piece  of  silk  goods;  but  a 
more  unusual  story  is  bound  up  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  just  beyond  it. 

James  Smithson  was  the  natural  son  of  Sir  Hugh 
Smithson,    first   Duke   of   Northumberland.      He   was 

Positions  6,  7,    Map  2. 


THE    SMITHSONIAN    INSTITUTION  61 

educated  at  Oxford,  where  he  took  a  degree  in  1786,  but 
after  his  graduation  he  does  not  appear  to  have  had  any 
fixed  or  permanent  residence,  living  at  lodgings  in 
London,  and  occasionally  staying  a  year  or  two  at  a 
time  in  cities  on  the  Continent.  He  died  in  Genoa  in 
June,  1829.  It  came  out  after  his  death  that  he  had 
left  the  handsome  fortune  which  the  generosity  of  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland,  enhanced  by  his  own  retired 
and  simple  habits,  had  enabled  him  to  accumulate  to 
his  nephew  for  life,  and  after  the  latter5  s  decease  to  his 
surviving  children ;  but  in  the  event  of  the  nephew  dying 
without  issue,  then  the  whole  of  the  property  was  "  left 
to  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  founding  an 
institution  at  Washington,  to  be  called  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  for  the  increase  and  diffusion  of  knowledge 
among  men." 

Smithson's  nephew  dying  without  heirs  in  1835,  the 
property  reverted  to  the  United  States,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1838,  after  a  suit  in  chancery,  there  was  paid 
into  the  Federal  treasury  upward  of  half  a  million  dol- 
lars. The  disposition  of  the  bequest  was  before  Con- 
gress for  several  years,  but  in  August,  1846,  at  which 
time  the  available  funds  had  increased  to  $750,000,  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  was  founded ;  an  act  was  passed 
directing  the  formation  of  a  library,  a  museum,  to  which 
were  transferred  the  collections  belonging  to  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  a  gallery  of  art,  while  to  a  board  of  regents 
was  left  the  power  of  adopting  such  other  parts  of  an 
organization  as  they  might  deem  best  suited  to  pro- 
mote the  objects  of  the  bequest.  The  corner-stone  of 
the  building  down  there  among  the  trees  was  laid  in 
May,  1847,  and  the  end  of  a  decade  brought  its  com- 
pletion. The  square  of  land  upon  which  it  stands  was 
set  aside  and  especially  reserved  for  the  purpose  by  the 
Government,  and  to-day,  with  the  natural  growth  of 

Position  7.    Map  2. 


62  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

trees  and  shrubbery,  it  has  become,  as  we  can  see,  one 
of  the  most  attractive  parks  in  Washington. 

Joseph  Henry  was  chosen  first  executive  officer  of  the 
Institution,  and  under  his  wise  management  and  that 
of  his  successors  it  has  developed  with  the  years  into 
one  of  the  most  important  scientific  centres  of  the  world. 
Its  objects  are  to  assist  men  of  science  in  prosecuting 
original  research  and  to  publish  the  result  of  researches 
in  a  series  of  volumes,  a  copy  of  them  being  present ed 
to  every  first-class  library  in  the  world.  The  Institu- 
tion maintains  an  immense  correspondence,  and  its  in- 
influence  and  active  aid  reach  investigators  in  every 
land.  No  other  institution  is  more  in  touch  with  the 
vital  interests  of  the  country  and  its  high  development, 
and  nobly  does  it  redeem  the  promise  once  made  by  its 
founder  that  his  name  "  should  live  in  the  memory  of 
men  when  the  titles  of  his  ancestors,  the  Northumber- 
lands  and  Percys,  were  extinct  and  forgotten." 

The  National  Museum,  which  we  see  in  the  rear  of 
the  Smithsonian,  should  have  a  secure  place  in  the  af- 
fections of  every  patriotic  American.  It  now  contains 
more  than  three  million  objects,  and  most  of  them  have 
a  direct  and  vital  bearing  upon  our  national  history  and 
development.  Among  these  are  personal  relics  and 
memorials  of  most  of  our  Presidents,  and  of  scores  of 
other  famous  men  who  have  played  memorable  parts 
in  the  history  of  the  country.  Could  we  pay  a  visit  to 
it,  we  should  see,  among  other  things,  the  tent  used  by 
Washington  during  the  Revolution  and  the  uniform  he 
wore  as  commander-in-chief  on  the  occasion  of  his  re- 
signing his  commission  at  Annapolis.  There  also  we 
should  have  a  chance  to  study  more  than  one  piquant 
reminder  of  the  great  exploring  expeditions  of  Wilkes 
to  the  Pacific  and  of  Perry  to  Japan.  The  National 
Museum,  you  will  be  interested  to  know,  is  under  the 

Position  7.    Map  2. 


THE    ARMY    MEDICAL    MUSEUM  63 

direction  of  the   Smithsonian,  but,   unlike  the   Smith- 
sonian, is  supported  by  Government  appropriations. 

Gazing  still  farther  afield,  we  descry  the  roof  of  the 
Army  Medical  Museum,  on  a  line  with  and  in  the  rear 
of  the  Xational  Museum,  one  of  the  most  interesting, 
though,  probably,  the  one  by  strangers  most  seldom 
visited  of  the  national  institutions  in  Washington. 
The  Medical  Museum  had  its  origin  in  the  collections 
of  pathological  specimens  which,  to  the  number  of 
several  thousand  accumulated  in  the  Surgeon-General's 
office  during  the  Civil  War.  Since  then  this  collection 
has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  unique,  and.  in  some 
respects,  most  important  in  the  world,  including  an 
immense  number  of  subjects  which  illustrate  various 
parts  of  the  human  body  as  affected  by  wounds  and 
disease.  Should  we  visit  it  we  should  find  one  case 
filled  with  specimens  which  exhibit  bullets  embedded 
in  and  split  upon  the  bones  of  the  cranium.  There  is 
one,  for  instance,  where  a  conical  bullet  split  in  two 
upon  entering  the  head  at  the  temple,  the  one-half 
going  inside  and  causing  instant  death,  while  the  other 
piece  stuck  in  the  flesh  of  the  face  outside.  On  another 
specimen  a  minnie  bullet  may  be  observed  astride  on 
the  bones  of  the  nose,  it  having  split  half  through  only 
upon  entering  the  head.  But  perhaps  the  most  re- 
markable case  is  that  of  a  would-be  suicide,  whose  head 
(after  he  died  a  natural  death)  is  preserved  here.  The 
subject  in  question  fired  a  pistol  in  his  mouth,  but  owing 
to  the  smallness  of  the  charge  of  powder,  or  from  some 
other  cause,  the  ball  did  not  penetrate  the  head,  but, 
after  severing  the  jugular  vein,  remained  firmly  em- 
bedded in  some  of  the  bones  of  the  head,  where  it  acted 
as  a  valve,  or  stopper,  to  the  blood  which  escaped  from 
the  wounded  artery.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
the  subject  would  have  died  in  a   few  minutes  from 

Position  7.    Map  2. 


64  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

internal  haemorrhage,  and  his  purpose  would  have  been 
accomplished,  but  as  it  was  the  bullet  destined  to  be  his 
death  saved  his  life,  and  he  lived  seventeen  years  after- 
ward to  mourn  his  folly.  I  need  not  add,  after  what 
I  have  told  you,  that  the  Medical  Museum  is  not  a 
cheerful  place.  Indeed,  only  people  blessed  with  stout 
nerves  should  visit  it. 

A  block  in  the  rear  of  the  Medical  Museum  we  see 
the  building  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission, 
whose  duties  it  is  to  restock  with  useful  fishes  the  waters 
of  our  rivers  and  lakes,  and  of  the  ocean,  and  whose 
labors  cover  every  portion  of  the  United  States.  The 
thoroughfare  which  flanks  on  the  south  the  buildings 
we  have  been  studying  is  B  Street,  and  the  light-faced 
structure  we  descry  to  the  right  of  it  (see  Map),  on  a 
line  with  the  Capitol,  is  the  office  of  the  Coast  and 
Geodetic  Survey,  whose  corps  of  civilian  engineers,  along 
with  a  certain  number  of  officers  and  men  detailed  from 
the  Navy,  are  constantly  at  work  surveying  and  re- 
surveying  the  harbors,  bays  and  rivers  of  our  thousands 
of  miles  of  sea-coast.  In  the  distance  to  our  right,  in- 
distinguishable from  here,  is  the  Congressional  Ceme- 
tery, on  the  bank  of  the  Anacostia — a  necropolis  of  men 
who  made  their  mark  in  our  history  when  the  last  cen- 
tury was  young.  Close  to  each  other  in  this  famous 
city  of  the  silent  are  the  monuments  which  cover  the 
dust  of  George  Clinton  and  Elbridge  Gerry,  both  of 
whom  died  while  holding  the  office  of  Vice-President. 

Among  the  cabinet  ministers  of  other  days  interred 
there  are :  A.  P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  State  under  Tyler, 
Avho  met  a  violent  death  on  the  Potomac ;  John  Forsyth, 
who  held  the  same  office  under  Jackson  and  Van  Buren. 
and  William  Wirt,  for  ten  years  one  of  the  ablest  at- 
torneys-general the  country  ever  had,  and  whose  re- 
markable speech  at  the  Aaron  Burr  trial  on  "  Who  is 

Position  7.    Map  2. 


THE    CONGRESSIONAL    CEMETERY  65 

Blennerhasset  ?  "  is  one  of  the  standard  prose  pieces  of 
forensic  literature  in  the  public  schools  and  colleges 
of  to-day.  Uriah  Tracy,  a  United  States  Senator  from 
Connecticut ;  Cilley,  who  was  killed  by  Graves  in  a  duel, 
and  scores  of  other  members  of  Congress  sleep  their 
last  sleep  there.  Two  major-generals  of  the  United 
States  Army  (Macomb  and  Brown),  both  of  whom  were 
commanders-in-chief  in  their  day,  are  buried  there.  A 
famous  Choctaw  Indian  chief,  Push-ma-ta-ha,  has  a 
monument  over  him  which  tells  the  looker-on  that 
among  his  last  words  were,  "  Let  the  big  guns  be  fired 
over  me."  Somebody  wanted  to  bury  Thaddeus  Stevens 
in  this  cemetery  and  have  Congress  raise  a  monument 
over  his  remains,  but  the  grim  old  Commoner  said  no — 
"  Bury  me  in  the  colored  cemetery  in  Lancaster.  As  I 
never  made  any  distinction  on  account  of  color  when 
living,  I  do  not  want  to  lie  in  a  place  where  such  dis- 
tinction is  made  after  death." 

The  long,  low,  shed-like  structure  down  among  the 
trees  on  the  left  is  the  Baltimore  and  Potomac  and 
Pennsylvania  E.  E.  Station.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street  which  runs  along  the  north  side  of  the  Mall 
and  a  few  rods  this  side  of  the  station  we  see  a  corner 
of  the  famous  old  Centre  Market.  A  couple  of  blocks 
beyond  the  Market,  though  indistinctly  seen  from  here, 
is  the  Metropolitan  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  where 
President  McKinley  came  with  great  regularity  each 
Sunday  for  worship. 

In  the  distance  we  see  the  hills  of  Maryland,  which 
bound  Washington  on  the  east.  Twenty-five  miles  be- 
yond those  hills  is  Annapolis,  on  the  shore  of  Chesapeake 
Bay. 

But  again  and  again  as  we  gaze  upon  this  scene  before 
us  the  eye  travels  back  to  the  noble  Capitol,  with  its 

Position  7.    Map  2. 


66  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

towering  dome  and  its  spreading  wings.  We  are  look- 
ing full  against  the  western  face  of  the  Capitol  here, 
with  the  Senate  wing  on  the  north  and  the  House  wing 
on  the  south.  Let  us  leave  the  Monument  and  go  down 
near  that  majestic  structure,  the  legislative  and  judi- 
cial centre  of  our  nation.  Turn  again  to  the  general 
map  of  Washington  and  note  the  two  red  lines  with 
the  figure  8  at  the  end  of  each  which  spread  out  to 
the  south  and  west  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
Capitol  grounds.  These  lines  may  be  found  also  on 
Map  No.  3.  Our  next  position  is  to  be  at  the  apex  of 
these  lines.  Evidently  we  shall  then  be  looking  at  the 
east  front  of  the  Capitol. 

Position  8.     U.  S.  Capitol  from   the  northeast, — 

Most  Beautiful  Building  in  America, 

Washington,  U,S.A, 

And  this  is  the  Capitol,  the  most  stately  home  ever 
provided  for  the  lawmakers  of  a  free  people.  Seen 
close  at  hand  in  the  morning  sunlight,  we  can  now  en- 
joy to  the  full  the  majesty,  grace  and  beauty  which  give 
it  a  place  among  the  noblest  architectural  objects  in  the 
world.  You  will  also  note  that  it  faces  the  east,  for  in 
that  quarter  the  projectors  of  Washington  assumed  that 
the  city  would  grow,  whereby  hangs  an  interesting  story 
of  the  day  of  first  things.  The  owner  of  most  of  the 
land  now  covered  by  the  eastern  portion  of  Washington 
was  Daniel  Carroll,  who  was  also  one  of  three  com- 
missioners appointed  in  1791  to  have  entire  charge  of 
the  laying  out  of  the  district  and  the  erection  of  the 
necessary  public  buildings.  This  gentleman  was  so  firm 
a  believer  in  the  future  greatness  of  the  Federal  city 
that  when  Stephen  Girard  offered  him  $200,000  for  a 
portion  of  his  estate  he  refused  the  offer,  demanding 
five  times  that  sum.     Carroll's  greed,  however,   soon 

Position  8.    Map  2,  3. 


ARCHITECTS    OF    THE    CAPITOL  67 

wrought  his  undoing;  the  high  price  placed  upon  the 
lots  held  by  him  compelled  many  who  wished  land  for 
the  erection  of  houses  and  business  structures  to  settle 
in  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  the  city,  and  the 
tide  of  population  turning  permanently  to  the  north 
and  west  decided  the  fate  of  the  eastern  quarter.  Thus 
Carroll's  dream  of  great  wealth  came  to  a  luckless  end- 
ing. All  that  he  could  leave  his  heirs  when  he  died 
was  a  heavily  encumbered  estate,  and  so  late  as  1873 
six  acres  of  the  Carroll  tract,  upon  which  his  descen- 
dants, during  a  period  of  eighty  years  had  paid  $16,000 
in  taxes — this  in  the  hope  of  a  profitable  sale — was 
finally  sold  for  $3,600.  And  now  you  know  why,  though 
it  faces  the  east,  the  Capitol  is  usually  approached  from 
the  west. 

The  Capitol's  apparent  unity  of  design  gives  one  the 
impression  that  it  is  the  work  of  a  single  master  mind. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  in  its  present  form  the  product 
of  various  hands,  for  it  has  been  a  gradual  growth  like 
the  nation  of  which  it  is  the  legislative  centre.  The 
oldest  portion  of  the  building  before  us  is  the  one  sur- 
mounted by  the  dome.  It  was  designed  by  William 
Thornton  and  completed  during  the  first  decade  of  the 
last  century.  After  the  partial  destruction  of  the  Capi- 
tol by  the  British  in  1814  Benjamin  H.  Latrobe,  one  of 
the  leading  architects  of  his  time,  was  employed  to 
reconstruct  it.  Latrobe's  services  covered  a  period  of 
less  than  three  years,  but  to  him  belongs  the  honor  of 
having  planned,  built  and  rebuilt  the  old  south  wing 
over  there  to  the  left,  of  having  rebuilt  the  old  north 
wing  which  peers  at  us  from  -the  hither  side  of  the  dome, 
and  of  having  designed  the  rotunda  and  the  present 
centre  structure.  When  Latrobe  resigned  in  1817,  he 
was  succeeded  in  charge  of  the  Capitol  by  Charles  Bul- 
finch,   an   eminent   architect  of  Boston,   whose   dome, 

Position  8.    Maps  2,  3. 


68  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

which  was  much  higher  than  the  one  proposed  by  La- 
trobe,  has  since  been  replaced  by  the  still  loftier  one 
which  towers  before  us  now.  The  execution  of  the 
rotunda  designed  by  Latrobe  was  the  work  of  his  suc- 
cessor, whose  skill  was  also  conspicuously  shown  in  his 
arrangement  to  remedy  a  mistake  in  the  location  of  the 
building.  Could  we  go  around  to  the  west  front  of  the 
Capitol,  we  should  see  that  those  who  first  wrought  upon 
it  placed  it  too  far  west,  so  as  to  overhang  the  brow  of 
the  hill  upon  which  we  are  standing  instead  of  resting 
upon  its  level  summit.  The  western  front  thus  exhibit- 
ing a  story  lower  than  the  one  we  are  facing,  Bulfinch 
covered  this  exposed  basement  with  the  semi-circular 
glacis  and  sloping  terraces,  which  we  shall  see  by  and 
by  and  which  render  the  western  approach  grand  and 
striking  in  the  highest  degree. 

Bulfinch  completed  his  labors  in  1S30,  and  until  1851 
the  Capitol  remained  unchanged.  Then  Congress  au- 
thorized the  alterations  and  additions  which  gave  it  its 
present  size  and  form.  The  growing  membership  of 
the  House  and  Senate  having  made  an  enlargement  of 
the  structure  necessary,  it  was  decided  to  build  north 
and  south  wings,  and  Thomas  W.  Walter,  a  distin- 
guished architect  of  Philadelphia,  who  had  designed 
Girard  College  and  other  buildings,  was  selected  to 
supervise  the  work.  The  design  prepared  by  Walter,  as 
I  have  told  you  in  "  The  Story  of  Washington,"  pro- 
vided for  a  white  marble  addition  at  each  end  of  the 
old  building,  with  porticoes  proportioned  to  those  of 
the  centre  structure,  and  for  a  new  iron  dome  in  place 
of  the  old  1  trick  and  wooden  one.  The  making  of  these 
changes  and  additions  covered  a  period  of  fourteen  years, 
but  it  gave  us,  as  you  can  see,  a  Capitol  that,  with  all 
its  minor  faults,  is  a  structure  worthy  of  the  republic. 

The  building  before  us  covers  an  area  of  a  little  more 

Position  8.    Maps  2,  3. 


SCULPTURE    OF    THE    CAPITOL  6'J 

than  three  and  a  half  acres,  and  it  has  a  total  length 
of  751  feet,  and  a  width  of  350  feet,  while  its  dome, 
springing,  as  you  see,  from  a  peristole  of  fluted  Corin- 
thian columns,  towers  307-J  feet  above  the  esplanade 
from  which  we  behold  it.  The  Statue  of  Freedom  which 
tops  the  dome  was  designed  by  Thomas  Crawford,  a 
famous  sculptor  of  the  early  days.  It  looks  little 
more  than  life  size,  but  in  reality  is  nineteen  and  a  half 
feet  high.  The  sculptured  group  which  we  see  on  the 
tympanum  of  the  central  portico,  designed  by  John 
Quincy  Adams  and  sculptured  by  Persico,  represents 
the  Genius  of  America.  America  stands  in  the  centre, 
with  the  eagle  at  her  feet,  while  her  shield,  inscribed 
with  the  legend  U.  S.  A.,  rests  upon  an  altar  whereon 
is  graven  the  eloquent  date,  July  -i,  1776.  Hope  standi 
beside  her,  and  on  her  other  hand  is  Justice,  holding  the 
scroll  of  the  Constitution  inscribed  with  the  date  of  its 
adoption.  Xote  the  two  colossal  groups  in  marble  on 
the  portico  of  the  rotunda.  One  designed  by  Persico 
represents  the  discovery,  and  the  other,  by  Greenough, 
the  settlement  of  America.  Turn  with  me  now  to  the 
marble  group  in  the  tympanum  of  the  Senate  portico 
over  there  to  our  right.  The  group  has  for  its  subject 
the  development  of  America  and  the  decadence  of  the 
Indian  race.  You  will  see  that  in  the  centre  stands 
America,  kissed  by  the  rising  sun,  bestowing  the  meed 
of  worthy  service  upon  Washington.  Commerce,  Educa- 
tion, Mechanics  and  Agriculture  are  on  her  right,  and 
on  her  left  the  Pioneer,  the  Hunter,  a  dejected  chief- 
tain and  an  Indian  mother  with  her  babe,  mourning 
beside  a  grave. 

The  long  flights  of  steps  lead  to  the  principal  story 
of  the  Capitol,  a  plan  of  which  is  given  on  our  Map 
Xo.  3.  A  study  of  this  plan  shows  us  that  the  Senate 
Chamber  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  this  north  wincr. 


Position  8.    Maps  2,  3. 


70  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

nearest  us  on  the  right.  The  Supreme  Court  sits  in  a 
room — the  old  Senate  Chamber — just  this  side  of  the 
central  portico.  The  taller  windows  with  heavy  cornices 
above  them  open  into  the  Supreme  Court  Chamber.  Be- 
hind the  windows  on  the  same  floor  just  beyond  the 
central  portico  is  the  old  Hall  of  Representatives,  now 
Statuary  Hall,  while  the  Hall  of  Representatives  is  on 
the  same  floor  in  the  centre  of  the  South  Wing  beyond. 

•Not  only  does  every  Congressman  and  Senator  and 
Supreme  Court  Judge  come  to  this  noble  pile  before  us, 
but  also  every  duly  elected  President  since  the  elder 
Adams  has  come  here  to  take  the  oath  of  office;  and 
rare  good  fortune  makes  it  possible  for  us  to  join  as 
eye-witnesses  in  one  of  these  historic  spectacles.  Turn 
to  Map  No.  3,  "  A  Plan  of  the  Capitol,"  and  search  out 
the  two  red  lines,  with  the  figure  9  at  the  end  of  each, 
which  spread  westward  from  a  point  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  Capitol  Grounds.  We  are  to  stand  next  at 
the  apex  of  these  lines,  and  behold  President  McKinley 
delivering  his  inaugural  address  on  March  4,  1897. 
Thus  events  passed  into  history  shall  come  back  into  life 
again. 

Position  9.     President  McKinley  Delivering  Sis 

First  Inaugural  Address,  March  4f  1897. 

Washington,    U.S. A, 

Human  affair  boasts  no  more  solemn  and  moving 
spectacle  than  the  one  spread  before  us — the  chosen 
ruler  of  millions  of  freemen  delivering  his  first  message 
to  his  people.  Only  on  this  side  of  the  western  ocean 
is  such  a  pageant  possible,  and  as  we  study  its  impres- 
sive details — the  President,  with  bared  head  and  uplifted 
hand,  and  the  silent,  listening  throng — our  thoughts 
travel  back  to  another  memorable  scene  enacted  on  this 


Position!,  8,  9.    Map  3. 


Lincoln's  last  inauguration  71 

very  spot,  the  delivery  of  the  last  inaugural  address  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  on  March  4,  1865.  Xo  doubt  many 
of  those  now  grouped  about  us  were  witnesses  of  the 
earlier  scene.  We  are  told  that  just  as  Lincoln,  tall 
and  gaunt  among  the  group  about  him,  advanced  to 
begin  his  address  from  the  portico  over  there  to  our 
left  the  sun  emerged  from  behind  obscuring  clouds,  and 
for  a  time  flooded  the  spectacle  with  glory  and  with 
light.  The  address  was  received  in  profound  silence, 
and  there  were  moist  eyes  and  tearful  cheeks  in  the 
listening  throng  when  the  President,  in  closing,  pro- 
nounced the  noble  words,  "  With  malice  towards  nonej 
with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right  as  God 
gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the 
work  we  are  in ;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds ;  to  care 
for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his 
widows  and  orphans;  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  a 
just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and  with  all 
nations/'  After  the  cheers  which  greeted  this  conclu- 
sion had  died  away,  the  oath  was  administered  by  the 
chief  justice.  Then  a  salvo  of  artillery  burst  upon  the 
air,  and  the  President,  having  made  his  way  to  his 
carriage,  was  escorted  back  to  the  White  House  by  a 
great  procession.  The  records  tell  us  that  there  was 
the  usual  reception  at  the  White  House  that  evening, 
and,  later  on,  the  traditional  inauguration  ball.  "  But 
chiefly  memorable  in  the  mind  of  those  who  saw  that 
second  inauguration,"  writes  Xoah  Brooks,"  must  still 
remain  the  tall,  pathetic  melancholy  figure  of  the  man 
who,  then  inducted  into  office  in  the  midst  of  the  glad 
acclaim  of  thousands  of  people,  and  illumined  by  the 
deceptive  brilliancy  of  a  March  sunburst,  was  already 
standing  in  the  shadow  of  death." 

The  taking  of  the  oath  of  office  by  an  incoming  Presi- 


Posltloa  9.    Map  3. 


73  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

dent  sometimes  follows,  but  more  often  precedes,  the 
delivery  of  his  inaugural  address.  Let  us  draw  a  little 
nearer  to  the  portico  of  the  rotunda,  and  witness  at 
close  hand  the  consummation  of  the  august  ceremony 
of  inauguration.  Turning  again  to  our  Map  No.  3  of 
the  Capitol,  you  will  observe  two  short  red  lines,  which 
branch  from  the  figure  10  in  a  circle,  a  point  much 
nearer  the  Capitol  than  our  present  position.  We  are 
to  stand  now  at  the  base  of  those  lines,  and  witness 
Chief  Justice  Fuller  administer  the  oath  of  office  to 
President  McKinley  on  March  4,  1901. 

Position  10»     The  Supreme  Moment,  Chief  Justice 

Fuller  Administering  the  Oath  of  Office  to 

President  McKinley,  March  4,  1901. 

Note  first  that  the  centre  of  the.  scene  before  us  is  a 
temporary  pavilion  erected  near  the  north  side  of  the 
east  portico.  It  shelters,  as  you  will  see,  a  memorable 
group.  On  our  left  is  the  white-haired  chief  justice, 
with  hand  uplifted  ill  the  act  of  delivering  the  oath  ; 
directly  in  front  of  us  stands  President  McKinley,  with 
right  hand  on  the  open  Bible,  and  holding  in  his  left 
hand  the  manuscript  of  the  inaugural  address  which  he 
is  soon  to  deliver  to  the  waiting  throng,  while  at  his 
right  stands  the  man  whom  an  assassin's  bullet  is  to 
make  his  successor — Vice-President  Roosevelt. 

Again,  as  a  few  moments  ago,  our  mind  goes  back 
to  similar  scenes  enacted  in  earlier  years  on  this  very 
spot.  The  east  portico  was  first  used  for  these  cere- 
monies when  President  Jackson  took  office  on  March  4, 
1829.  Ten  thousand  people  gathered  here  on  that  day; 
a  ship's  cable  had  to  be  stretched  across  the  steps  of 
the  portico  to  keep  back  the  army  of  eager  sightseers; 
and  it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  the  procession  which 
escorted   Jackson — a   band   of   Revolutionary    veterans 

Position  10.    Map  3. 


Lincoln's  first  inauguration  73 

formed  the  bodyguard — was  able  to  reach  the  Capitol. 
Twelve  years  later  another  great  multitude  witnessed 
the  inauguration  of  the  elder  Harrison  on  this  spot.  It 
was  a  raw  March  day,  with  a  chill  wind  blowing,  and 
Harrison,  who  had  come  here  on  a  spirited  white  horse, 
attended  by  veterans  who  had  fought  Under  him  in  the 
second  war  with  England,  stood  bareheaded  for  an  hour 
while  delivering  his  long  inaugural  address,  thus  sowing 
the  seeds  of  the  disease  which  later  caused  his  death. 

It  was  a  critical  moment  in  our  history  when  Abraham 
Lincoln  came  here  on  March  4,  1861,  to  take  the  oath 
of  office.  The  morning  of  that  eventful  day  broke  clear 
and  cloudless,  and  at  an  early  hour  a  great  multitude 
rilled  both  sides  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  the  open 
space  whereon  we  are  standing.  The  Southern  States 
were  already  in  rebellion,  and  there  was  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  a  plot  for  the  armed  seizure  of  the  capital 
during  the  inauguration.  Accordingly,  unobtrusive  yet 
effective  steps  were  taken  to  quell  any  attempt  at  vio- 
lence and  discord.  Platoons  of  soldiers  were  stationed 
at  intervals  along  the  avenue,  and  groups  of  riflemen 
posted  on  the  adjacent  roof-tops.  Few  knew,  moreover, 
that  soldiers  lined  the  entire  length  of  the  improvised 
board  tunnel  through  which  Lincoln  was  to  pass  into 
the  Capitol ;  that  squads  of  riflemen  were  in  each  wing ; 
that  half  a  hundred  armed  men  were  secreted  under 
the  platform  from  which  the  President-elect  was  to 
speak,  and  that  there  were  batteries  of  artillery  in  the 
streets  to  the  right  and  left  and  rear  of  us,  while  a  ring 
of  volunteers  encircled  the  waiting  crowd. 

A  few  minutes  before  the  noon  hour  President 
Buchanan  arrived  at  Willard's  Hotel  to  escort  his  suc- 
cessor to  the  Capitol.  Lincoln  came  out  and  entered 
the  Presidential  carriage.  Then  a  company  of  sappers 
and  miners  of  the  regular  army  formed  in  a  hollow 

Position  10.    Map  3, 


74  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

square  about  him,  and  moved  down  the  avenue,  followed 
by  a  few  companies  of  uniformed  volunteers.  The 
Capitol  reached,  Lincoln  entered  the  building  arm  in 
arm  with  Buchanan,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  two 
appeared  upon  the  portico  in  front  of  us  attended  by  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Senators,  Representa- 
tives, officers  of  the  army  and  navy  and  the  family  of  the 
President-elect.  Accident,  just  before  the  ceremony 
began,  formed  an  historic  group.  On  one  side  was 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Lincoln's  defeated  rival  for  the 
presidency,  holding  Lincoln's  hat.  On  the  other  side 
stood  Chief  Justice  Taney,  author  of  the  Dred 
Scott  decision,  and  close  to  the  latter  President 
Buchanan.  To  the  front  and  centre  stood  the  Presi- 
dent-elect, thus  grouping  the  principal  characters  in 
the  most  momentous  era  of  American  history.  Senator 
Baker,  of  Oregon,  briefly  introduced  Lincoln,  who,  hav- 
ing unrolled  his  manuscript,  stepped  forward,  and  in 
a  clear,  firm  voice,  every  word  being  heard  by  the  most 
distant  member  of  the  listening  throng,  read  his  re- 
markable inaugural  address.  The  people  broke  into 
cheers  at  the  touching  words  with  which  it  closed,  and 
Lincoln,  turning  to  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court 
on  his  left,  said,  "  I  am  now  ready  to  take  the  oath 
prescribed  by  the  Constitution/'  Chief  Justice  Taney 
administered  the  oath,  Lincoln  saluting  the  extended 
Bible  with  his  lips,  and  the  ceremony  was  at  an  end. 

It  is  time,  however,  for  us  to  visit  the  interior  of 
the  great  building  which  has  been  the  centre  of  so 
much  history.  Turn  to  Map  No.  3  of  the  Capitol 
again,  and  note  the  two  red  lines  with  the  figure  11 
at  the  end  of  each,  which  spread  out  from  the  south- 
western corner  of  the  Hall  of  Representatives.  We  are 
to  enter  the  Capitol  through  the  House  portico,  and 


Position  10.    Map  3. 


HAY'S    EULOGY    ON    MCKINLEY  75 

look  down  upon  the  Hall  of  Representatives  from  the 
southwest  gallery. 

Position,  11.     A  Touching  Tribute  to  McKinley's 

Memory, — Secretary  Hay's  Eulogy  in  the 

House    of    Representatives, 

Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  a  legislative  chamber  un- 
surpassed in  the  world,  and  again  we  are  witnesses  of 
a  historic  scene.  There  at  the  Speaker's  desk  of  white 
marble,  in  the  centre  of  the  south  side  of  the  hall, 
stands  Secretary  of  State  John  Hay,  delivering  his 
noble  eulogy  on  President  McKinley. .  Around  and  in 
front  of  him  are  grouped  most  of  the  men  most  eminent 
in  public  life.  The  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
beginning  with  Chief  Justice  Fuller  on  the  right,  oc- 
cupy the  seats  directly  in  front  of  the  orator,  and  across 
the  aisle  from  them,  but  nearer  to  us  we  descry  Presi- 
dent Eoosevelt,  with  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  by  his 
side.  Immediately  back  of  the  Supreme  Court  justices 
are  the  ambassadors  and  representatives  of  other  na- 
tions, and  still  farther  back  is  the  Senate.  The  House 
occupies  the  seats  just  below  us.  Beyond  the  speaker 
we  see  General  Miles,  made  conspicuous  by  his  military 
sash,  with  many  other  officers  of  the  army  and  navy. 
On  this  side  of  the  speaker,  and  directly  in  front  of  us, 
Secretary  of  War  Root  listens  intently  to  his  associate's 
praises  of  their  former  chief.  There  are  a  hundred 
men  of  distinction  and  renown  in  the  throng  before 
us,  and  there  is  food  for  pride  in  the  thought  that  the 
man  whose  memory  they  have  assembled  to  honor  was 
worthy  of  all  honor. 

Could  we  enter  this  hall  in  which  we  are  standing 
when  the  House  was  in  session  we  should  find  it  a  busy 
and  noisy  place.     I  must  tell  you,  however,  that  all 

Position  11.    Map  3. 


76  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

of  the  effective  work  of  Congress  is  done  by  its  various 
committees,  and  the  utterances  of  Senators  and  Repre- 
sentatives on  the  floor  of  their  respective  chambers  are 
in  the  main  for  political  effect  on  their  constituencies. 
Legislation  is  based  on  bills,  resolutions  and  reports, 
and  these  run  a  curious  gauntlet  in  their  appropriate 
committees.  When  a  piece  of  legislation  in  either  of 
these  forms  has  reached  a  determination  in  committee, 
the  act  of  disposing  of  it  by  formal  vote  in  either  body 
of  Congress  is  really  a  legal  fiction,  by  which  the  deci- 
sion of  a  committee  is  made  the  decision  of  the  great 
assembly,  and  the  matter  becomes  the  law  of  the  land, 
is  killed  outright,  or  is  hung  up  indefinitely.  It  would 
be  physically  impossible  for  either  house  of  Congress 
to  consider  a  tenth  of  the  bills  introduced  into  it ;  hence 
its  members  are  divided  into  committees,  which  do  the 
considering  for  the  whole  body,  and  whatever  a  com- 
mittee decides  on  is  generally  ratified  by  the  body  by 
formal  vote.  The  committees  are  classified  as  Standing, 
or  those  appointed  regularly  by  each  Congress;  Select, 
or  such  as  may  be  required  for  special  work,  and  which 
are  liable  to  change  with  each  Congress;  and  joint, 
which  are  appointed  by  each  body  to  consider  matters 
simultaneously.  In  the  Senate,  all  committees  are 
appointed  by  the  President  of  that  body;  in  the  House, 
by  the  Speaker ;  and  in  each  body  the  majority  of  mem- 
bers are  appointed  from  the  dominant  political  party. 
An  old  member  is  always  assigned  to  an  important  com- 
mittee; a  young  one,  to  a  minor;  and  in  general  the 
profession  or  occupation  of  a  member  determines  on 
which  committee  he  shall  serve.  Nearly  all  committees 
are  composed  of  an  odd  number  of  members,  and  in 
the  case  of  the  most  important  ones,  several  of  their 
members,  who  retain  their  seats  in  either  house  of 
Congress,  are  continued  from  one  house  to  another. 

Position  II.    Map  3. 


THE    COMMITTEES    OF    CONGRESS  77 

The  character  of  a  bill  or  resolution  introduced  into 
Congress  determines  the  committee  to  whom  it  shall 
be  referred  for  consideration.  Each  House  has  certain 
inherent  rights  in  the  matter  of  handling  bills.  The 
Constitution  vests  in  the  House  the  sole  right  of  first 
receiving  and  considering  every  bill  for  raising  public 
revenue;  but  the  same  instrument  gives  the  Senate  the 
right  to  propose  amendments  to  such  House  bill,  with 
which  the  House  may  or  may  not  concur,  as  it  deems 
most  judicious.  Hence,  the  House  Committee  on  Ways 
and  Means  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  sub- 
ordinate bodies.  The  most  important  Senate  Com- 
mittees are  those  on  Foreign  Relations,  Appropriations, 
Commerce,  Finance,  Judiciary,  Pensions,  Post-offices, 
and  Post  Roads,  Inter-State  Commerce,  Coast  Defences, 
Eailroads  and  Privileges  and  Elections;  and  the  most 
important  of  the  House  Committees :  Ways  and  Means, 
Foreign  Affairs,  Judiciary,  Banking  and  Currency, 
Coinage,  Weights  and  Measures,  Patents,  Private  Land 
Claims,  War  Claims,  the  Territories,  Revision  of  the 
Laws  and  Reform  in  the  Civil  Service.  Both  branches 
of  Congress,  you  will  see,  have  committees  with  similar 
functions;  others  of  these  are  those  on  Military  and 
Naval  Affairs,  x\griculture,  Appropriations,  Education, 
Manufactures  and  Fisheries. 

The  hall  in  which  we  now  are  has  been  since  1863 
the  meeting  place  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
here  James  G.  Blaine,  Roscoe  Conkling,  James  A.  Gar- 
field, Samuel  J.  Randall,  William  McKinley  and 
Thomas  B.  Reed  did  the  work  and  won  the  fame  which 
give  them  a  place  among  the  nation's  noble  dead.  Be- 
fore 1863  the  House  held  its  sessions  in  what  is  now 
the  National  Statuary  Hall.  Should  we  pass  up  that 
central  isle  in  front  of  the  Speaker's  desk  we  should 
find  a  passage-way  leading  directly  to  that  old  Repre- 

Positloall.    Map  3. 


78  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

sentative  Hall.  Turning  again  to  the  Plan  of  the 
Principal  Story  of  the  Capitol,  we  easily  find  this  pas- 
sage leading  from  the  present  Hall  of  Representatives 
to  Statuary  Hall.  Should  we  traverse  this  passage  we 
should  find  ourselves  in  the  historic  room,  designed  by 
Latrobe  after  a  Greek  theatre,  where  Madison  was  in- 
augurated President  in  1809  and  again  in  1813,  where 
Monroe  was  inaugurated  for  his  second  term  in  1821 
and  where  Millard  Fillmore  took  the  oath  of  office  as 
President  on  July  10,  1850,  following  the  death  of 
President  Taylor.  That  is  the  hall  in  which  Henry 
Clay  presided  as  Speaker  of  the  House  in  the  old  days. 
There  occurred  the  stormy  debates  incident  to  the  War 
of  1812  and  the  war  with  Mexico  and  the  preliminary 
struggle  over  the  vexed  question  of  slavery.  There 
Daniel  Webster,  Richard  Henry  Wilde,  author  of  "  My 
Life  is  Like  the  Summer  Rose,"  and  later  Abraham 
Lincoln  sat  as  obscure  Congressmen,  each  before  the 
day  of  his  meridian  fame.  There  John  Quincy  Adams 
was  chosen  President  in  1825  over  Andrew  Jackson 
and  William  H.  Crawford,  when  the  election  was  thrown 
into  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  there  in  1848, 
an  aged  and  veteran  member  of  the  House,  he  was 
stricken  with  mortal  illness  and  carried  to  an  adjoining 
room  to  die. 

Charles  Dickens,  who  sat  in  the  little  gallery  at  the 
side  of  this  chamber  nearly  every  day  during  his  visit 
to  Washington,  in  1842,  gathering  materials  for  his 
"  American  Notes,"  has  left  us  a  pen  picture  of  it  as  it 
looked  to  his  eyes.  "  It  is  a  beautiful  and  spacious 
hall,"  he  writes,  "of  semi-circular  shape,  supported  by 
handsome  pillars.  One  part  of  the  gallery  is  appro- 
priated to  the  ladies,  and  there  they  sit  in  the  front 
rows  and  come  in  send  go  out  as  at  a  play  or  concert. 
The  chair  is  canopied,  and  raised  considerably  above 

Position  II.     Map 3. 


NATIONAL    STATUARY    HALL  79 

the  floor  of  the  house,  and  every  member  has  an  easy 
chair  to  himself,  which  is  denounced  by  some  people  out 
of  doors  as  a  most  unfortunate  and  injudicious  ar- 
rangement, tending  to  long  sittings  and  prosaic  speeches. 
It  is  an  elegant  chamber  to  look  at,  but  a  singularly  bad 
one  for  all  purposes  of  hearing."  An  old  oil  sketch  of 
the  chamber,  painted  in  1822  by  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse, 
and  now  hanging  in  the  Corcoran  Art  Gallery,  cor- 
roborates Dicken's  description  of  it  to  the  very  letter. 
It  was  set  apart  in  1864  as  a  National  Statuary  Hall — 
this  at  the  suggestion  of  Justin  S.  Morrill,  then  a  mem- 
ber of  the  House — "  to  which  each  State  might  send 
effigies  of  two  of  her  chosen  sons  in  marble  or  bronze  to 
be  placed  permanently  here."  The  gracious  custom  thus 
set  afoot  met  with  a  hearty  response  from  most  of  the 
States,  and  now  ranged  around  the  hall  are  nearly  two 
score  statues  and  portrait  busts  of  the  nation's  great 
ones. 

And  now  let  us  visit  the  Senate  Chamber.  Turning 
to  the  Plan  of  the  Principal  Story  of  the  Capitol  we 
note  again  that  this  room  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
north  wing,  and  that  two  red  lines  having  the  figures 
12  at  the  end  of  each  radiate  from  a  point  near  its 
southwest  corner.  We  are  to  view  the  Senate  chamber 
from  the  apex  of  these  lines. 

Position  12.     Senate  Chamber,  77.  S.  Capitol,  Scene 

of  Some  of  the  3Iost  Famous  Debates 

in  American  History, 

We  have  now  traversed  the  entire  length  of  the  Capi- 
tol, and  are  standing  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
Senate  chamber.  It  is  a  spacious  room,  almost  as  large 
as  the  House  of  Representatives  which  we  left  a  mo- 
ment ago.     Note  that  the  seats  of  the   Senators  are 

Positions  II,  12.    Map  3. 


80  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

arranged  in  concentric  rows,  and  that  the  aisles  radiate 
from  the  dais  of  the  Vice-President's  desk  on  the  north 
side  of  the  room.  The  desks  which  we  see  in  front  of 
the  dais  are  those  of  the  clerks  and  official  reporters, 
while  the  door  to  their  right  and  rear  leads  to  the  Vice- 
President's  Eoom  and  the  Senators'  Reception  Room. 
(See  the  Plan  of  the  Principal  Story  of  the  Capitol.) 
The  room  of  the  Vice-President,  who  is  also  presiding 
officer  of  the  Senate,  contains  Peale's  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington and  a  bust  of  Vice-President  Henry  Wilson, 
whose  sudden  death  occurred  in  this  room  on  November 
22,  1875.  The  Senators'  Reception  Room  is  popularly 
known  as  the  Marble  Room,  from  the  fact  that  it  is 
constructed  wholly  of  that  material.  A  second  door, 
hidden  from  our  view  on  our  left,  leads  to  the  Room 
of  the  President.  This  room  is  set  apart  for  the  use 
of  the  President  when  he  visits  the  Capitol,  and  is  the 
one  to  which  he  comes  in  the  closing  hours  of  the  ses- 
sion to  sign  the  last  bills  before  adjournment. 

Since  1859  the  Senate  has  held  its  sessions  in  the 
chamber  in  which  we  are  standing,  and  here  have  oc- 
curred many  historic  events,  including  the  impeachment 
trial  of  President  Andrew  Johnson.  The  Senate  is  a 
much  more  leisurely  body  than  the  House,  and  could 
we  visit  this  chamber  at  another  time  we  should  find 
it  very  sparsely  populated  during  the  first  minutes  of 
the  session,  which  begins  precisely  at  noon  with  a  prayer 
by  the  chaplain.  One  morning  a  few  sessions  ago  only 
one  Senator  appeared  in  his  seat  at  the  appointed  hour. 
Thereupon  the  President  pro  tern  struck  the  desk  with 
his  gavel,  and,  with  the  utmost  gravity,  said:  "The 
Senator  from  Massachusetts  will  come  to  order."  The 
Senator  obeyed  and  the  prayer  went  on.  During  the 
presidency  pro  tern  of  Ben  Wade  a  new  and  bashful 
Senator  told  him  he  desired  very  much  to  obtain  the 

Position  12.    Map  3. 


DESATE    IN    THE    SENATE  81 

floor  to  ask  unanimous  consent  to  pass  a  certain  entirely 
unobjectionable  bill.  "  Oh,  bring  it  right  up  after 
prayer/'  said  the  old  man.  "  First-rate  time  to  pass 
your  bill  when  no  Senators  are  about."  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  the  advice  of  the  experienced  old  stager  was 
taken,  and  with  the  desired  result.  It  should  be  said 
that  it  was  a  bill  to  which  none  would  have  objected, 
for  a  more  honest  man  never  sat  in  a  public  bod}T  than 
the  rugged  old  Senator  from  Ohio. 

Debate  in  the  Senate,  unlike  procedure  in  the  House, 
is  entirely  free.  The  only  way  debate  can  be  cut  off  by 
the  majority  and  a  vote  on  a  measure  be  compelled  is 
by  refusing  to  adjourn.  If  the  minority  is  a  small  one, 
a  continuous  session  of  two  or  three  days  and  nights 
will  usually  bring  it  to  terms.  In  such  a  case  members 
of  the  majority  can  relieve  each  other  and  get  some 
rest,  still  leaving  enough  constantly  on  guard  to  vote 
down  an  adjournment.  If  the  minority  weary  of  speech, 
there  is  still  another  method  for  obstructing  a  vote,  and 
that  is  by  alternate  motions  to  adjourn,  and  to  go  into 
executive  session.  These  motions  are  always  in  order 
and  are  not  debatable,  and  the  yeas  and  nays  can  be 
ordered  on  them  every  time  by  one-fifth  of  the  Senators 
present.  Eighteen  members  are  one-fifth  of  the  Senate 
as  it  is  now  constituted.  A  minority  strong  enough  to 
keep  that  number  always  in  the  Senate  Chamber  with- 
out any  being  continuously  deprived  of  rest,  could  revo- 
lutionize the  Government. 

When  the  debate  begins  the  effect  is  to  relieve  Sena- 
tors from  further  attention  to  the  business  in  hand. 
Some  Senator  charged  with  the  subject  commences  a 
speech,  to  which  half  a  dozen  may  listen  some  of  the 
time.  Others  begin  writing  letters,  some  go  to  their 
committee  rooms,  and  a  still  larger  number  repair  to 
the  cloak  rooms  behind  us,  to  tell  stories,  and  do  a  little 

Position  12.    Map  3. 


82  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

log-rolling  for  measures  of  their  own.  The  two  cloak 
rooms  are  spacious  and  comfortable,  well  supplied  with 
sofas  and  easy  chairs.  The  Democrats  use  one  of  these 
and  the  Republicans  the  other.  "  There  are  legends  of 
an  olden  time  "  when  some  of  the  old  boys  of  the  Senate 
indulged  themselves  in  a  convivial  way  in  some  of  the 
committee  rooms,  but  the  better  opinion  now  prevails 
that  they  are  all  very  circumspect.  In  the  Senate  res- 
taurant, where  the  sale  of  liquors  and  wines  is  strictly 
forbidden,  the  sinful  caterer  appeals  from  the  rules  to 
the  higher  law,  and  serves  whatever  is  called  for.  This 
is  an  improvement  upon  the  time,  not  thirty  years  ago, 
when  liquors  were  dispensed  from  a  regular  bar  in  the 
Capitol,  in  an  out-of-the-way  room,  known  as  the  "  Hole 
in  the  Wall." 

Perhaps  it  will  surprise  you  to  know  that  the  Senate 
sat  at  all  times  with  closed  doors  during  the  first  six 
years  after  our  Government  went  into  operation  under 
the  Constitution.  Not  even  the  members  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  were  permitted  to  invade  its  hiding 
place.  A  resolution,  providing  that  "the  doors  of  the 
Senate  chamber  shall  be  open  when  the  Senate  is  sit- 
ting in  their  legislative  capacity,  to  the  end  that  such 
of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  as  may  choose  to  hear 
the  debates  of  this  House  may  have  an  opportunity  of 
so  doing,"  was  voted  down  April  30,  1790,  just  one  year 
after  Washington's  first  inauguration,  and  the  same 
proposition  was  rejected  at  the  two  following  sessions. 
On  the  18th  of  April,  1792,  some  bold  and  venturesome 
Senator  made  a  motion  to  admit  the  members  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  to  attend  the  debates  of  the 
Senate  when  sitting  in  its  legislative  capacity.  It  re- 
ceived but  six  affirmative  votes  against  sixteen  in  the 
negative.  On  the  9th  of  December,  1795,  secrecy  was 
abolished  except  in  cases  where  specially  ordered.     All 

Position  12.    Map  3. 


THE    SENATE    IN    SECRET    SESSION  83 

nominations  to  office  subject  to  confirmation  by  the  Sen- 
ate are  still  considered  in  executive  or  secret  session. 
A  motion  to  go  into  executive  session  is  always  in  order, 
and  when  such  a  motion  is  carried  there  is  a  quick 
clearing  of  outsiders  from  the  galleries  in  front  and 
to  the  right  of  us.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  popular 
curiosity  as  to  what  occurs  in  the  secret  sessions  of  the 
Senate.  A  former  clerk  of  the  Senate  once  told  me  that 
his  observations  in  the  executive  sessions  have  led  him  to 
the  opinion  that  the  average  man,  like  the  average  boy, 
behaves  himself  better  before  folks  than  he  does  in  pri- 
vate groups.  Not  that  anything  goes  on  behind  the 
closed  doors  of  an  unseemly  character.  The  proceedings 
are  as  orderly  as  at  other  times,  barring  a  little  relaxa- 
tion in  the  way  of  moving  about  and  smoking.  But  men 
do  not  always  vote  as  they  would  under  the  public  eye. 
Scenes  from  the  a  School  for  Scandal "  are  sometimes 
enacted  by  the  picking  to  pieces  of  private  character,  and 
on  the  other  hand  unsavory  reputations  are  sometimes 
mended  by  the  partiality  of  strong  personal  friendship. 
Prior  to  1859  the  Senate  held  its  sessions  in  what  is 
now  the  Supreme  Court  Eoom.  Turn  to  the  Plan  of 
the  Principal  Story  of  the  Capitol,  and  note  again  that 
this  chamber  occupies  the  east  front  of  what  was  form- 
erly the  north  wing,  and  that  it  is  entered  from  the  west. 
Note  also  the  two  red  lines,  with  the  figure  13  at  the 
end  of  each,  which  radiate  from  a  point  near  the  south- 
ern wall  of  this  chamber.  Our  next  point  of  vision  will 
be  the  apex  of  these  lines. 

Position  13.    Supreme  Court  Room  in  the  Capitol, 

Chair  of  the  Chief  Justice  before  Arch, 

Washington,   U.S. A, 

We  are  standing  now  in  the  meeting  place  of  the 
most  august  of  earthly  tribunals — a  semi-circular  hall, 

Positions  12,  13.    Map  3. 


84  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

with  low-domed  ceiling,  designed  by  Latrobe,  after  Greek 
models.  Before  us  is  the  Bench  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
with  the  chairs  of  the  Chief  Justice  in  the  centre,  and 
those  of  the  eight  Associates  on  either  side.  The  man- 
ner in  which  the  Supreme  Court  is  opened  is  most  im- 
pressive. The  judges  file  in  slowly  in  their  black  silk 
gowns,  and  as  they  appear  the  crier  calls  out :  "  The 
Honorable  the  Chief  Justice  and  the  Associate  Justices 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States — Oyez,  oyez, 
oyez !  All  persons  having  business  before  the  Honorable 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  are  admonished 
to  draw  near  and  give  their  attention,  for  the  Court  is 
now  sitting.  God  save  the  United  States  and  this  Hon- 
orable Court ! "  The  spectators  all  stand  during  this 
ceremon}',  and  anybody  who  absent-mindedly  or  igno- 
rantly  remains  seated  is  instantly  stirred  up  by  the 
venerable  negro  doorkeeper.  The  Chief  Justice  takes 
his  seat  in  the  middle  of  the  bench,  and  the  eight  Asso- 
ciate Justices  range  themselves  on  either  side  of  him, 
taking  precedence  according  to  the  number  of  years  they 
have  served,  the  seat  of  honor  being  on  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice's right  hand.    Judge  Harlan  occupies  it  now. 

There  is  a  singular  power  of  attraction  in  the  Su- 
preme Court  to  the  stranger  in  Washington.  Every 
day  in  the  session  the  space  in  the  room  in  which  we  are 
standing  reserved  for  visitors  is  almost  constantly  filled. 
No  matter  how  uninteresting  the  case  being  argued  may 
be,  there  is  entertainment  for  the  mind  in  the  appearance 
of  the  old  chamber  and  the  row  of  dignified  men  whose 
opinions  count  for  so  much  in  American  jurisprudence. 
One  who  is  permitted  to  go  into  the  robing-room  and  the 
other  apartments  frequented  by  the  Justices  when  the 
court  is  in  session  feels  at  once  the  spell  of  antiquity 
and  dignity  cast  by  the  honorable  body.  This  robing- 
room  is  an  oblong  apartment  hidden  from  view  on  our 

Position  13.    Map  3. 


METHODS    OF    THE    SUPREME    COURT  85 

left.  Its  northern  windows  look  out  upon  the  open  space 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  old  north  wing  of  the 
Capitol  with  the  Senate  wing.  The  adornments  of 
the  room  are  few  and  unpretentious.  There  is  a 
fireplace  embellished  by  rich,  white  marble  carving, 
which  is  a  source  of  much  favorable  criticism  by 
those  who  are  permitted  to  inspect  it,  and  no  fewer 
than  three  portraits  of  John  Marshall.  The  view  from 
the  west  window  of  the  robing  room  is  very  fine.  The 
city  lies  at  your  feet,  and  you  get  a  good  idea  of  the 
plan,  with  the  broad  avenues  radiating  like  the  spokes 
of  a  wheel  from  the  Capitol.  Across  the  roofs  and 
steeples  you  have  a  glimpse  of  Arlington  away  over  on 
the  heights  beyond  the  river,  and  the  shaft  of  the  Monu- 
ment stands  beautifully  outlined  against  the  sky,  chal- 
lenging for  the  hundredth  time  your  admiration  for 
its  simple  majesty.  From  this  window  during  the  Civil 
War  one  could  watch  through  a  spy-glass  the  manoeuvres 
of  the  Confederate  troops  across  the  Potomac. 

Saturday  is  conference  day  at  the  Court.  The  judges 
meet  in  a  large  room  on  the  floor  below  us  to  discuss 
the  business  of  the  tribunal.  It  is  a  bright,  cheerful 
library,  lined  with  law-books  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and 
looks  very  cosy  and  attractive.  The  Chief  Justice  takes 
up  each  case  in  turn,  and  starts  the  discussion  by  asking 
the  Junior  Justice — that  is,  the  Justice  last  appointed — 
what  he  thinks  respecting  it.  General  conversation  on 
the  subject  follows,  and  a  vote  of  the  merits  of  the  case 
is  taken.  The  votes  are  recorded  in  a  clasped  volume 
provided  with  a  lock,  which  is  known  as  the  "  locked 
docket."  Its  contents  are  not  revealed  to  anybody.  If 
they  got  out  the  news  might  be  used  for  speculative  pur- 
poses. But  the  voting  at  conference  does  not  finally 
decide  the  case.  On  the  same  night  usually  the  Chief 
assigns  all  of  the  cases  which  have  been  thus  discussed 

Position  13.    Map  3. 


OO  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

and  voted  on  to  the  Associate  Justices  for  re-examina- 
tion. He  gives  them  out  with  reference  to  the  recog- 
nized specialties  of  the  judges.  Harlan's  specialty  is 
constitutional  law.  Brown's  forte  is  admiralty  law. 
McKenna  is  exceptionally  well  informed  as  to  land 
grants  and  mining.  Brewer  is  an  excellent  all  around 
man,  with  a  marvelous  memory  for  precedents. 

Each  judge  goes  over  the  case  assigned  to  him  just  as 
if  he  had  never  seen  it  before.  He  writes  out  his  opinion 
respecting  its  merits  and  sends  the  manuscript  to  the 
printer.  Proofs  are  returned  to  him  at  once,  and  he  sends 
one  of  them  to  each  of  the  other  Justices.  They  cut  it 
to  pieces,  altering  it  ruthlessly,  correcting  its  style  and 
diction,  criticizing  its  law,  and  even  changing  the  spell- 
ing and  punctuation.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  Su- 
preme Court  courtesy.  No  embarrassment  of  etiquette 
restrains  one  Justice  from  chewing  up  the  opinions  of 
another.  The  eight  proofs  thus  corrected  are  sent  back 
to  the  author  of  the  opinion.  He  revises  the  latter  in  the 
light  of  the  suggestions  thus  received.  But  even  now 
it  is  not  complete.  On  the  next  Saturday  it  is  taken 
up  in  conference  and  again  criticized  and  amended,  cut 
down  or  amplified.  Of  course,  you  see  the  document 
must  eventually  represent  the  united  opinion  of  the 
whole  bench.  Once  in  a  while,  though  not  often,  it  hap- 
pens that  one  or  more  of  the  Judges  dissent  from  the 
opinion  of  the  majority,  and  in  that  case  a  minority 
opinion  will  be  rendered. 

The  requirements  of  an  Associate  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  you  will  see,  are  somewhat  arduous,  yet  the 
methodical  members  of  the  court  find  it  possible  to 
adopt  a  daily  programme  which  affords  them  probably 
as  much  leisure  as  the  average  business  or  professional 
man  manages  to  secure.  The  court  convenes  on  the  sec- 
ond Monday  in  October  and  adjourns  about  the  middle 

Position  13.    Map  3. 


POWER    OF    THE    SUPREME    COURT  87 

of  May.  The  law  requires  that  each  Justice  visit  his 
circuit  every  two  years,  the  United  States  being  divided 
into  as  many  circuits  as  there  are  Supreme  Court  Jus- 
tices. They  take  advantage  of  the  summer  vacation 
to  comply  with  this  regulation,  and  either  sit  on  the 
bench  with  the  judges  of  their  circuits  or  hear  cases 
separately.  The  length  of  the  stay  of  each  in  his  circuit 
is  optional,  but  most  of  the  Judges  show  a  conscientious 
regard  for  the  law. 

ISTo  other  legal  tribunal  that  ever  existed  has  possessed 
such  well  nigh  absolute  power  as  is  wielded  by  the  Su- 
preme Court.  It  can  even  overthrow  any  law  passed  by 
Congress  and  signed  by  the  President,  if  it  chooses  to 
discover  a  constitutional  flaw  in  the  measure,  and  from 
its  decision  there  is  no  appeal.  Such  awe  does  it  inspire 
that  lawyers  of  great  reputation  and  experience  who 
come  here  to  plead  before  it  are  often  seized  with  fright, 
tremble,  turn  pale  and  forget  their  words  in  its  presence. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  sometimes  happens  that  a  country 
attorney  will  exhibit  the  utmost  sangfroid  in  address- 
ing the  august  row  of  black  gowns.  Not  long  ago  an 
advocate  of  this  caliber  was  arguing  a  patent  case  before 
the  court.  He  claimed  an  infringement  in  rights  in  the 
manufacture  of  a  new  style  of  collar  button.  Incident- 
ally he  spoke  at  length  and  with  enthusiasm  on  the 
varied  merits  of  the  invention.  One  of  the  justices  in- 
terrupted his  discourse  by  saying: 

"  I  wish  to  ask  if,  among  the  numerous  admirable 
qualities  of  this  collar  button,  one  of  particular  and  in- 
dispensable importance  is  embraced.  In  a  word,  if  it* 
falls  and  rolls  under  the  bureau  can  it  be  found  again  ?  " 

The  query  was  put  with  the  utmost  apparent  gravity, 
and  it  staggered  the  lawyer  completely,  so  that,  after 
adding  a  few  hesitating  remarks,  he  closed  his  argument. 
Justice  Brown  and  Justice  Harlan  were  both  convulsed 

Position  13.    Map  J. 


88  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

with  mirth,  because  it  happened  that  each  one  of  them 
had  lost  a  collar  button  that  very  morning.  Brown's 
had  rolled  under  the  fireplace  and  lodged  in  a  spot  secure 
from  recovery.  Whether  the  joke  had  any  influence  in 
the  decision  favorable  to  the  plaintiff  which  was  rendered 
nobody  could  tell. 

A  stately  and  beautiful  pile  is  the  Capitol  to  which 
we  have  just  been  making  a  pilgrimage,  and  it  has  an 
equally  beautiful  neighbor  in  the  new  Library  of  Con- 
gress which  faces  it  from  the  southeast.  Turn  now  to 
the  General  Map  of  Washington  and  note  the  two  red 
lines,  having  the  figure  14  at  the  end  of  each,  which 
radiate  east  and  south  from  the  Capitol  grounds.  Our 
position  is  to  be  on  the  dome  of  the  Capitol,  from  which 
point  we  shall  look  over  that  portion  of  Washington 
included  between  these  lines. 

Position  14*     The  Magnificent  New  Congressional 

Library,  Most  Spacious  of  Book  liejwsi- 

torie89  Washington,  (J.S»A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  the  dome  of  the  Capitol  look- 
ing southeast.  Directly  before  us  is  the  Library  of  Con- 
gress. The  tree-flanked  thoroughfare  in  the  rear  is 
Pennsylvania  Avenue,  stretching  out  to  the  Anacostia, 
beyond  which  rise  the  Maryland  hills.  Hidden  from 
view  in  our  rear  and  on  our  right  are  the  White  House 
and  the  Potomac.  The  splendid  structure  before  us, 
however,  claims,  for  the  moment,  all  our  thought  and 
admiration.  It  covers,  as  you  see,  come  four  acres,  and 
in  architectural  detail  and  in  the  costliness  and  beauty  of 
its  finish  is  the  gem  of  our  national  buildings.  Its  gilded 
dome  is  not  a  lofty  one,  because  it  was  desired  that  the 
Capitol  should  remain  the  unrivaled  centre  about  which 
all  other  architectural  monuments  should  be  held  in 


Positions  13,  14.    Map  2. 


THE    LIBRARY    OF    CONGRESS  89 

subordination,  and  this  was  a  wise  decision.  Each  of 
these  two  great  buildings  here  on  Capitol  Hill  adds 
something  to  the  impressiveness  of  the  other.  There 
is  harmony  in  the  general  effect,  and  each  maintains  its 
entire  individuality. 

The  Library  was  begun  in  1889,  and  completed  in 
1897  at  a  cost,  exclusive  of  site,  of  six  million  dollars. 
Its  architect  was  Paul  J.  Pelz,  whose  design  for  a  struc- 
ture of  the  Italian  Eenaissance  order  of  architecture  was 
selected  from  those  submitted  by  a  number  of  competi- 
tors. Many  subsequent  modifications  of  the  design  were 
made,  but  the  credit  is  primarily  and  essentially  due 
to  Mr.  Pelz.  The  construction  of  the  building  was  in 
charge  of  General  Thomas  L.  Casey,  Chief  of  Engineers 
in  the  Army,  and  its  practical  superintendence  was  from 
the  beginning  assigned  to  Bernard  E.  Green,  an  en- 
gineer of  high  ability.  New  Hampshire  granite  is  the 
material  of  the  exterior,  while  marbles  from  every  quar- 
ter of  the  globe  are  represented  in  the  interior. 

The  Library  of  Congress,  like  most  of  our  national 
institutions,  had  a  very  modest  beginning,  and  its  early 
history  was  a  checkered  and  unfortunate  one.  A  valu- 
able beginning  had  been  made  in  the  first  years  of  the 
last  century,  but  the  books  were  all  burned  by  the 
British  when  in  1814  they  fired  the  building  beneath  us. 
Then  Congress  bought  Thomas  Jefferson's  library  of 
about  7,000  volumes,  and  made  it  the  nucleus  for  a  sec- 
ond collection,  which  in  1851  had  grown  to  about  55,000 
volumes.  In  that  year  came  another  fire,  from  which 
only  20,000  books  were  rescued.  A  new  beginning  was 
made  the  next  year  when  Congress  appropriated  $55,000 
for  purchases;  and  subsequent  annual  appropriations 
filled  the  breach.  The  building  before  us  houses  more 
than  a  million  volumes,  besides  manuscripts,  maps, 
charts,  pieces  of  music,  prints  and  law  books. 

Position  14.    Map  2. 


90  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

The  growth  of  the  library,  now  one  of  the  great  book 
collections  of  the  world,  has  made  several  large  bounds 
through  special  accessions  such  as  the  scientific  library 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution;  but  by  far  the  largest 
source  of  supply  has  come  from  the  copyright  law,  which 
requires  the  deposit  in  the  Library  of  Congress  of  two 
copies  of  each  publication  that  claims  protection  under 
the  American  copyright  provisions.  The  fact  that  much 
of  the  material  thus  accumulated  would  be  worthless  for 
the  purposes  of  the  Boston  or  Chicago  public  libraries,  or 
for  such  a  great  reference  collection  as  the  New  York 
Public  Library  does  not  have  any  bearing  upon  the 
functions  of  the  national  library  here  in  Washington. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  both  for  present  and  for 
future  purposes,  that  there  should  be  one  comprehen- 
sive collection  of  American  books  and  publications  of  all 
kinds  preserved  and  arranged  so  as  to  bear  faithful  tes- 
timony to  the  life,  thought  and  work  of  the  American 
people  from  year  to  year.  The  Library  of  Congress, 
besides  its  complete  stores  of  American  books,  also 
preserves  many  newspaper  files.  The  future  student  of 
any  department  of  our  national  history  must  find  the 
vast  collection  housed  over  yonder  his  principal  source 
of  knowledge. 

But  it  is  time  for  us  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  interior 
of  this  great  hive  of  knowledge.  We  will  accordingly 
descend  from  the  Dome,  cross  the  Capitol  Grounds,  and, 
climbing  the  stairway  of  the  central  pavilion,  pass 
through  great  bronze  doors  into  the  central  stair  hall  of 
the  first  or  library  floor.  Turn  to  the  General  Map  of 
Washington  and  note  in  the  plan  of  the  Library  the 
two  red  lines,  numbered  15,  which  radiate  to  the  north- 
west and  show  the  position  we  are  to  take  and  the  por- 
tion of  the  Library  we  are  to  see. 

Position  14.    Map  2. 


INTERIOR    OF    THE    LIBRARY 


91 


Position  15.    Decorative  Splendors  of  the  Entrance 

Hall  of  the  Great  Congressional  Library, 

Washington,   U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  one  of  the  noblest  entrance 
halls  designed  by  modern  hands.  It  has  been  happily 
described  as  "  a  vision  of  polished  stone,"  for  this  splen- 
did apartment,  as  you  will  note,  is  lined  throughout  with 
fine  Italian  marble,  while  all  around  us  rise  lofty 
rounded  columns,  with  carved  capitals  of  Corinthian  de- 
sign, supporting  arches  adorned  with  carvings  of  exquis- 
ite finish  and  delicacy.  The  vaulted  ceiling  above  us  rises 
seventy-two  feet  to  the  skylight,  and  is  rich  in  tablets 
which  bear  the  names  of  the  great  masters  of  thought: 
of  all  recorded  time.  Each  moment  offers  a  fresh  de- 
light to  the  eye,  but,  perhaps,  the  most  striking  feature 
of  this  hall  is  the  grand  double  staircase,  with  its  white 
marble  balustrades  leading  up  on  either  side  to  the  sec- 
ond story.  Let  us  draw  a  little  nearer  to  the  north 
stairway  and  view  it  at  a  different  angle.  Turning 
again  to  the  plan  of  the  Library  on  Map  No.  2,  note  the 
two  red  lines  connected  with  the  figure  16,  which  show 
approximately  our  next  position. 

Position   16,      Grand    Staircase,   Library   of 
Congress,   Washington,   U.S.A. 

Mark  the  imposing  architectural  effect  of  the  broad 
stairway,  and  the  simple  grace  and  beauty  of  the  bronze 
lamp  bearer  which  towers  above  us.  The  archway  on  our 
right  leads  into  the  entrance  hall  from  which  we  have 
just  come,  and  thence  to  the  great  reading-room  of  the 
library.  The  reading-room  fills  the  central  rotunda  of 
the  building,  from  which  radiate  bookstacks,  and  which 
is  inclosed  in  a  parallelogram  of  galleries  and  pavilions. 
The  central  reading-room  has  three  stories,  and  had  we 

Positions  IS,  16.    Map  2. 


92  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

time  to  visit  all  of  them  we  could  spend  many  pleasant 
and  profitable  hours  studying  the  works  of  the  painters 
and  sculptors  who  with  loving  skill  and  labor  wrought 
their  adornment.  Instead,  however,  we  will  go  out  again 
into  the  open  air,  and  returning  to  the  Capitol  look 
west  from  the  dome. 

Turn  to  the  General  Map  of  Washington  and  locate 
the  two  red  lines  which  start  from  the  Capitol  and 
radiate  west  and  northwest,  each  having  the  number 
17  at  its  end  on  the  map  margin.  From  this  new  posi- 
tion on  the  Capitol  dome,  we  ought  to  be  able  to  see 
not  only  the  Mall  but  the  Monument  and  Pennsylvania 
Avenue  to  the  Treasury  Building,  the  Executive 
Grounds  and  west  over  the  Potomac  to  Virginia. 

Position  17.     From  the  Dome  of  the  Capitol  West, 

down  Pennsylvania  Avenue  to  Post-office  and 

over  the  Mall,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

It  is  the  noon  hour,  as  we  can  see  by  the  shadows  cast 
by  the  trees  at  our  feet.  There  to  the  left  looms  the 
Monument,  backed  by  the  Virginia  hills;  on  our  right 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  stretches  to  the  Treasury  Build- 
ing and  directly  beyond  over  the  trees  the  White  House 
is  dimly  seen.  The  Library  of  Congress  is  behind  us, 
and  the  Pension  Office  and  the  Potomac  hidden  from 
view  on  our  right  and  left.  The  cupola  which  we  see 
rising  a  few  blocks  in  the  rear  of  Congress  Hall  tops 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Station,  while  to  the  north  of 
that  structure — but  just  out  of  our  range  of  vision — 
at  Fourth  and  C  streets  are  the  First  Presbyterian 
and  the  Metropolitan  Methodist  Episcopal  churches, 
where  Grant,  Cleveland,  McKinley  and  other  Presidents 
worshiped  in  the  past.  The  shaded  ground  in  front  of 
us  is  the  National  Botanical  Garden,  and  the  conserva- 

Positioas  16,  17.    Map  2. 


A    TALE    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR  93 

tory,  whose  cupola  we  can  see  on  the  extreme  left,  con- 
tains large  collections  of  rare  plants  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  Xorth  of  this  conservatory  is  the  Bartholdi 
Fountain. 

The  structure  with  the  tall  tower  near  the  farther 
end  of  Pennsylvania  Avenue  is  the  Post-Office  Building, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  avenue  and  beyond  the 
Post-Office  Building  is  the  new  Willard's  Hotel,  which 
a  year  or  two  ago  replaced  a  hostelry  that  was  long  one 
of  the  landmarks  of  Washington.  It  was  at  the  earlier 
Willard's,  for  many  years  the  leading  hotel  of  the 
capital,  that  Presidents-elect  Pierce,  Buchanan  and  Lin- 
coln lodged  when  they  came  to  Washington,  and  it  was 
past  Willard's  that  unnumbered  regiments  marched 
down  over  the  Long  Bridge  and  into  the  Civil  War. 
Sight  of  its  successor  reminds  me  of  a  thrilling  story 
told  me  by  the  late  Andrew  G.  Curtin. 

The  great  war  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  was  in 
Washington  on  a  December  night  in  1862.  Eeturning 
at  a  late  hour  to  Willard's  Hotel,  he  was  accosted  by 
an  aged  woman,  whose  rusty  garb  and  anxious  face 
made  it  plain  that  she  was  poor  and  in  distress.  The 
battle  of  Fredericksburg  had  just  been  fought,  and  the 
Union  killed  and  wounded  had  mounted  into  the  thou- 
sands. The  woman's  only  son  was  a  private  in  a  Penn- 
S}Tlvania  regiment,  and  she  had  not  heard  from  him 
since  the  fight.  So,  with  little  more  than  her  railway 
fare,  she  had  come  to  Washington  to  search  for  him. 
Would  not  the  Governor  help  her  to  get  through  the 
lines  to  nurse  him  or  to  carry  his  body  home  ?  Governor 
Curtin  heard  the  number  of  the  young  man's  regiment 
with  a  sudden  choking  at  the  throat.  He  had  come  that 
day  from  the  field  of  battle,  and  knew  that  it  had  been 
cut  to  pieces.  There  was  moisture  in  his  eyes  when  he 
told  her  that  in  the  morning  he  would  either  see  the 

Position  17.    Map  a. 


94  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

President  or  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  get  her  a  pass 
through  the  lines. 

Then  he  drew  the  old  woman's  arm  within  his  own, 
escorted  her  to  the  street,  hailed  a  cab,  helped  her  into 
it,  and,  paying  the  cabman  his  fee,  told  him  to  drive  his 
charge  to  a  lodging-house  where  the  Governor  was  well 
known  and  had  sent  many  a  destitute  friend.  It  was 
a  clear  night,  and,  as  the  cab  rattled  away,  the  thought 
occurred  to  the  Governor  that  a  short  walk  might  induce 
sleep.  He  lighted  a  cigar  and  strolled  down  the  avenue, 
but  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  Ben  Wade  and  John 
Sherman  homeward  bound  from  the  Capitol,  where 
there  had  been  a  night  session  of  Congress.  The  three 
men  halted  under  a  street  lamp  and  entered  into  con- 
versation. Fredericksburg  was  the  topic,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor told,  among  other  things,  of  the  old  lady  in  search 
of  her  son.  He  was  thus  engaged  when  a  cab  halted 
on  the  nearest  corner.  There  was  a  woman  inside,  and 
the  driver,  with  oaths,  was  demanding  that  she  should 
leave  the  cab.  Intuition  told  the  Governor  that  the 
woman  was  his  old  lady.  A  few  quick  strides  carried 
him  to  the  side  of  the  cab  and  confirmed  his  suspicion. 
The  cabman  had  spent  his  fee  for  liquor,  and,  now, 
drunk  and  bewildered,  was  seeking  to  pitch  his  charge 
into  the  street. 

"  You  infernal  rascal,"  roared  the  Governor,  "  what 
do  you  mean  ?  Did  I  not  pay  you  to  take  this  old  lady 
to  a  lodging-house  ?  " 

Curtin's  companions  had  come  up  by  this  time,  and 
Ben  Wade,  sensing  the  situation,  gave  vent  to  a  stream 
of  profanity  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  pirate 
captain.  He  wanted  the  cabman  whipped  and  he  wanted 
to  help  whip  him.  But  the  driver,  who  also  looked  the 
bully,  noisily  declared  that  he  had  never  seen  the  Gov- 
ernor before,  and  would  punch  his  head  if  he  did  not 

Position  17.    Map  2. 


A    TALE    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR  95 

promptly  go  about  his  business.  The  war  of  words  was 
still  raging  when  there  appeared  on  the  scene  a  six-foot 
soldier,  who  wore  in  his  cap  the  tail  of  a  buck, — the 
latter  the  emblem  of  Pennsylvania's  fighting  brigade, 
the  Bucktails.  He  was  promptly  hailed.  "  Do  you 
know  me  ?  w  asked  the  Governor.  "  Yes,  sir.  You're 
Andy  Curtin,"  was  the  reply.  "  Do  you  think  you  can 
lick  that  fellow  ?  "  and  Curtin  pointed  to  the  cabman, 
who  was  exchanging  curses  with  Ben  Wade.  "  Gover- 
nor," said  the  Bucktail,  "  hold  my  rifle."  Three  minutes 
later  it  was  all  over,  and  the  cabman  looked  as  though  he 
had  encountered  a  Kansas  cyclone.  Then  the  soldier,  at 
the  Governor's  request,  escorted  the  old  lady  to  the  lodg- 
ing-house. Passes  were  secured  for  her  the  next  day, 
and  she  went  to  the  front  to  find  her  boy  seriously  but 
not  fatally  wounded. 

"  Was  that  the  end  of  the  story  ?  "  I  asked  the  Gover- 
nor, when  he  told  it  to  me  just  before  his  death. 

"  There  was  a  little  more  to  it,"  said  he,  a  smile 
lighting  up  his  fine  old  face.  "  Whenever  a  man  does 
me  a  good  turn  I  like  to  do  him  one,  and  I  felt  myself 
under  a  lively  obligation  to  that  soldier.  One  of  the 
first  things  I  did  when  I  returned  home  was  to  have  an 
order  issued  for  him  to  report  forthwith  in  Harris- 
burg, — I  had  taken  care  to  ascertain  his  name,  regiment 
and  company, — and  when  he  came  I  gave  him  a  lieuten- 
ant's commission.  His  after-career  proved  that  I  had 
made  no  mistake.  Bravery  on  the  field  speedily  brought 
him  promotion,  first  to  the  rank  of  captain  and  then  to 
that  of  major.  He  fell  at  Spottsylvania  while  leading 
his  regiment  as  its  lieutenant-colonel." 

It  is  a  thousand  moving  and  tender  associations  of  this 
sort  that  endear  Washington  to  every  American ;  and  no 
structure  within  its  confines  is  charged  with  a  fuller 
store  of  glorious  memories  than  the  one  whose  white 

Position  17.    Map  2, 


96  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

roof  smiles  at  us  through  yonder  foliage.  Let  us  stroll 
westward  along  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  look  at  the 
White  House  from  Lafayette  Square.  Turn  now  to  Map 
No  4,  "  White  House  and  Vicinity/'  and  find  the  two 
red  lines  which  radiate  southward  from  the  number  18 
in  a  circle  in  the  southern  side  of  Lafayette  Square. 
From  the  apex  of  these  lines  we  shall  look  to  the  north 
front  of  the  White  House. 

Position  18.     The  White  House,  the  Historic  Resi- 
dence of  the  Nation9 s  Chief,  North  Front, 
Washington,   U.S.A. 

And  this  is  the  White  House,  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  the  official  residence  of  our  Presidents !  The 
Capitol  is  now  on  our  left,  and  Georgetown  on  our  right, 
while  behind  us  is  the  fashionable  section  of  Washington. 
The  Capitol  aside,  the  beautiful  building  in  front  of  us 
is  the  oldest  structure  in  Washington  devoted  to  public 
uses.  It  was  in  March,  1792,  shortly  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  survey  of  the  new  Federal  city,  that  the 
commissioners  of  the  district  advertised  for  designs  for 
the  Capitol  and  for  the  President's  House,  offering  in 
each  instance  a  premium  of  $500  and  a  building  lot  to 
the  author  of  the  accepted  design.  Among  the  sub- 
mitted designs  was  one  by  James  Hoban,  a  young  archi- 
tect of  Charleston,  S.  C.  This  design,  which  followed 
that  of  the  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Leinster  in  Dublin, 
being  approved,  Hoban  was  awarded  the  premium  and 
engaged  to  superintend  the  construction  of  the  man- 
sion, which  was  soon  given  the  name  of  White  House. 
Tradition  has  it  that  this  name  was  prompted  by  the 
popular  regard  for  Washington's  wife,  whose  early  home 
on  the  Pamunky  River,  in  Virginia,  was  so  called.  If 
will  also  interest  you  to  know  that  Washington  himself 

Position  18.    Map  4. 


THE    WHITE    HOUSE    IN    EARLY    DAYS  97 

selected  this   site   for  the   White   House   and  laid  the 
corner-stone  here  on  October  13,  1792. 

John  Adams  was  the  first  President  to  occupy  the 
building  before  us;  and  you  can  read  in  Mrs.  Adams' 
letters  how  she  used  the  unfinished  East  Koom,  the  room 
on  the  first  floor  to  the  left  of  the  portico,  for  drying 
clothes,  and  of  the  literal  "  housewarming "  she  made 
to  take  the  dampness  out  of  the  walls,  with  no  end  of 
trouble  to  obtain  firewood  enough  for  the  purpose. 
When  the  British  captured  Washington,  in  August, 
1814,  the  White  House  was  still  unfinished — an  un- 
sightly pile  standing  amid  ill-kept  grounds,  surrounded 
by  a  cheap  paling  fence.  After  the  invaders  had  burned 
the  Capitol  and  just  as  they  were  about  to  counter- 
march to  their  ships,  having  pillaged  the  house  quite 
at  their  leisure  for  twenty-four  hours,  they  brought  fire 
from  a  beer  shop  and  set  it  ablaze,  and  then  trudged  off 
quite  merrily  in  the  light  of  the  conflagration  until 
caught  in  the  historic  thunderstorm  of  that  summer 
night,  which  so  pelted  and  battered  them  that  they 
thought  it  was  the  wrath  of  Heaven  upon  their  vandal- 
ism. There  is  only  one  memento  of  the  fire  in  the 
White  House  to-day — the  picture  of  Washington  which 
hangs  in  the  East  Eoom — once  called  a  Gilbert  Stuart, 
but  now  known  to  be  the  work  of  an  English  artist  of 
no  fame,  who  copied  faithfully  Stuart's  style.  The 
fraud  was  not  discovered  until  some  time  after  the 
original  had  been  shipped  to  England — too  late  to  re- 
cover it.  Every  visitor  is  told  that  Mrs.  Madison  cut 
this  painting  out  of  its  frame  with  a  pair  of  shears,  to 
save  it  from  the  enemy  when  she  fled  from  the  town; 
but  in  her  own  letter  describing  the  hasty  flight,  she 
says  that  Mr.  Custis,  the  grandson  of  Mrs.  Washington, 
hastened  over  from  Arlington  to  rescue  the  precious 
portrait,  and  that  a  servant  cut  the  outer  frame  with 

Position  18.    Map  4. 


yO  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

an  axe,  so  that  the  canvas  could  be  removed,  stretched 
on  an  inner  frame.  The  story  of  the  shears  is  a  pretty 
one,  but,  like  so  many  other  entertaining  historical 
anecdotes,  is  a  fiction. 

There  is  no  building  in  the  world  where,  in  the  same 
space  of  time,  more  of  history  has  centered  than  in  this 
shining  white  mansion,  with  its  air  of  stately  simplicity, 
of  dignity  and  repose,  which  now  commands  our  admira- 
tion. Twenty-five  Presidents  have  lived  in  it,  and  two 
have  died  in  it.  One  went  from  it  with  a  group  of 
friends  to  be  struck  down  by  an  assassin's  bullet  in  a 
theatre,  and  to  be  carried  unconscious  to  a  death-bed  in 
a  strange  house.  One,  in  full  midcurrent  of  life,  sturdy 
of  brain  and  body  and  glowing  with  patriotic  purposes, 
was  shot  in  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railway  station,  and 
brought  here  to  languish  through  weeks  of  pain,  strug- 
gling manfully  with  death,  all  the  world  looking  on 
with  a  universal  sympathy  never  before  shown  to  mortal 
man,  to  be  borne,  as  a  last  hope,  to  the  seaside,  and 
there  to  die. 

There  have  been  marriages  and  merrymakings,  too, 
within  these  walls,  jovial  feasts  and  ceremonial  ban- 
quets; grave  councils  of  state  that  shaped  the  destiny 
of  the  nation;  secret  intrigues  and  midnight  conclaves 
that  made  or  unmade  political  parties ;  war  councils  that 
flashed  forth  orders,  on  telegraph  wires,  which  moved 
great  armies  and  set  lines  of  battle  in  deadly  front.  The 
history  of  the  White  House  is,  in  fact,  a  governmental 
and  political  history  of  the  United  States  from  1800  to 
this  day;  it  is  also  a  history  of  the  domestic  lives,  the 
ambitions,  and  the  personal  traits  of  twenty-five  Presi- 
dents, their  families  and  their  near  friends  and  advisers. 
This  history,  however,  has  left  few  traces  behind  in  the 
way  of  memories  or  traditions  in  the  White  House. 
One  cannot  even  learn  where  the  elder  Harrison  died, 

Position  18.    Map  4. 


TRADITIONS    OF    THE    WHITE    HOUSE  99 

after  his  brief  four  weeks  of  power,  or  where  bluff 
Zachary  Taylor  breathed  his  last. 

The  few  traditions  that  cling  to  the  house  are  incon- 
gruous mosaics  of  tragedy  and  gayety.  "  Here,"  an 
attendant  will  tell  you,  pointing  to  a  particular  place 
in  the  East  Room,  "  is  where  Lincoln  lay  in  his  coffin ; 
and  here,"  moving  a  few  steps  away,  "  is  where  Nellie 
Grant  stood  when  she  was  married  to  the  young  Eng- 
lishman, Sartoris."  You  are  informed  that  at  such  a 
place  in  the  Blue  Eoom  the  President  usually  stands  at 
receptions,  and  in  the  next  breath  are  told  that  "  this  is 
the  window  where  they  brought  President  Garfield  in 
after  he  was  shot,  taking  him  up  the  back  stairs  be- 
cause of  the  crowd  in  front."  It  seems  as  if  the  mem- 
ory of  the  two  martyred  Presidents  were  alone  destined 
to  haunt  the  White  House,  all  others  fading  away  with 
the  lapse  of  time.  Indeed,  if  one  wants  to  find  some 
trace  of  the  angular  and  resolute  personality  of  Jack- 
son, or  of  the  polite  and  graceful  Van  Buran,  or  of  that 
hardy  soldier  Zachary  Taylor,  or  even  of  occupants  as 
late  as  the  courtly  Buchanan,  he  will  be  disappointed; 
and  a  still  more  recent  President — Grant — finds  his 
permanent  fame  dependent  far  more  upon  his  career 
as  a  general  than  on  that  as  chief  magistrate,  and  has 
left  in  the  building  he  occupied  for  eight  years  few 
memories  that  are  still  fresh. 

Truth  to  tell,  the  mansion  before  us  is  an  official 
hotel.  The  guests  come  and  go,  and  when  they  leave 
they  take  with  them,  along  with  their  trunks,  whatever 
of  personality  they  diffused  through  its  stately  apart- 
ments while  they  remained.  Some  have  lived  in  the 
house  in  the  spirit  of  a  freehold  owner,  sure  of  undis- 
turbed possession;  some,  like  short-term  tenants,  never 
feeling  quite  at  home.  Of  the  latter  were  the  family 
of  President  Johnson,  one  of  whose  daughters  said: 

Position  18.    Map  4. 


100  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

"  We  are  plain  people  from  the  mountains  of  Tennessee, 
called  here  for  a  time  by  a  great  national  calamity.  We 
hope  too  much  will  not  be  expected  of  us."  Whether 
proud  or  modest  in  their  temper  or  belongings,  however, 
the  Presidents,  when  once  they  have  surrendered  the 
reins  of  power,  soon  drop  back  into  the  dim  procession 
of  their  predecessors.  One  of  the  saddest  spectacles 
connected  with  official  life  in  Washington  is  the  hasty 
packing  of  the  effects  of  an  outgoing  President  just 
before  the  fateful  fourth  of  March  which  ends  his 
power.  After  noon  of  that  day  the  family  has  no  more 
right  here  than  the  passing  stranger  on  the  street;  and 
while  the  cannon  are  firing  salvos  of  welcome  to  the 
new  President,  and  the  long  procession  is  moving  up 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  to  the  Capitol  front,  where  he  is 
to  be  inaugurated,  the  White  House  family  are  gather- 
ing their  personal  effects  together  and  taking  last  looks 
at  the  rooms  where  they  have  been  honored  and  courted 
for  years,  the  delightful  sense  of  greatness  and  power 
they  have  enjoyed  so  long  now  cut  short  in  a  single  day. 

One  word  more  as  to  the  history  of  the  White  House 
before  we  pay  a  visit  to  its  interior.  When  it  was  fired 
by  the  British  in  1814  the  interior  only  of  the  house 
was  destroyed,  the  walls  remaining  intact.  Hoban,  its 
designer,  restored  the  interior,  though  he  did  not  com- 
plete it  until  some  time  after  Monroe  succeeded  to  the 
Presidency  in  1817.  There  was  no  change  in  the  ex- 
terior of  the  White  House  from  that  time  until  a  year 
ago,  when  the  changes  were  begun  that  have  given  it 
its  present  form. 

These  changes  included  low  wings  to  the  right  and 
left  of  the  main  structure,  which  have  been  added  to 
furnish  ample  business  quarters  for  the  President  and 
his  staff.  The  additions  admirably  serve  the  purpose 
for  which  they  were  intended,  yet  one  cannot  help  but 

Position  18.    Map  4. 


EAST    ROOM    OF    THE    WHITE    HOUSE  101 

feel  that  they  have  taken  something  from  the  beauty 
of  the  White  House  as  our  fathers  knew  it. 

Let  us  now  cross  the  beautiful  lawn  in  front  of  us, 
and,  passing  through  the  noble  portico  of  the  White 
House  and  the  vestibule  to  which  it  gives  entrance,  and 
then  through  a  smaller  hall  to  the  left  of  the  latter 
apartment,  pay  a  visit  to  the  great  East  Eoom. 

Position  19.     East  Room,  ivhere  Presidential  Re- 
ceptions are  held  (North  towards  Front), — 
White  House,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  near  the  western  wall  of  the 
East  Room — a  spacious  apartment  forty  feet  wide  and 
eighty-two  feet  in  length,  used  by  the  President  for 
public  receptions.  Lafayette  Square  is  in  front  of  us, 
the  Treasury  Building  on  our  right,  and  in  our  rear  the 
Monument,  the  Potomac  and  the  Virginia  and  Maryland 
hills.  As  }'ou  note  the  noble  dimensions  of  the  room  in 
which  we  are  standing  you  will  not  be  surprised  when 
I  tell  you  that  it  was  originally  intended  for  a  banquet- 
ing hall;  and  that  here  we  have  a  souvenir  of  the  aris- 
tocratic notions  of  the  Virginians  and  South  Carolinians 
of  the  early  days  of  the  republic.  Hoban  must  have  been 
encouraged  in  his  idea  that  a  President  of  the  United 
States  would  occasionally  give  a  mighty  feast,  like  those 
given  by  kings  and  princes  and  powerful  noblemen  in 
the  Old  World.  Probably  neither  he  nor  Washington, 
whom  he  must  have  consulted,  imagined  that  the  room 
would  be  needed,  and  besides  be  much  too  small,  for 
the  miscellaneous  crowd  which,  in  another  generation, 
would  overflow  the  Mansion  at  public  receptions.  And 
how  many  memorable  incidents  have  had  this  room  for 
their  setting.  Weddings  have  occurred  here  and  fune- 
rals  without  number.      President   Harrison's   was   the 

Position  19.    Map  4. 


102  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

first  funeral  to  be  held  here.  In  October,  1842,  the 
first  wife  of  President  Tyler  was  buried  from  this  room. 
A  year  and  five  months  after  her  death,  the  first  week 
in  March,  1844,  the  funerals  of  four  victims  of  the 
disaster  on  board  the  Princeton  by  the  bursting  of  the 
gun  "  Peacemaker  "  were  held  here.  The  fifth  victim 
of  distinction,  Virgil  Maxey,  ex-Minister  to  the  Hague, 
was  not  brought  to  the  White  House,  but  had  a  private 
funeral  at  the  house  of  friends.  The  four  who  lay  in 
state  in  this  room  were  Secretary  of  State  Abel  P.  Up- 
shur, Secretary  of  the  Navy  Gilmer,  Commodore  Ken- 
non  and  ex-State  Senator  Gardiner,  of  Gardiner's 
Island,  N.  Y.,  whose  daughter  Julia  the  following  June 
became  the  wife  of  President  Tyler. 

President  Zachary  Taylor  died  on  July  9,  1850,  and 
his  remains  lay  in  state  several  days  in  this  room  and 
were  carried  thence  with  great  pomp.  Thus,  between 
April,  1841,  and  July,  1850,  seven  funerals  were  held* 
in  the  Executive  Mansion — two  Presidents,  one  Presi- 
dent's wife  and  four  officers  and  citizens  of  command- 
ing positions.  This  was  the  most  tragic  decade  in  the 
history  of  the  Mansion  as  to  the  number  of  its  dead.  A 
long  interregnum  was  now  vouchsafed,  until  the  funeral 
here  of  Willie  Lincoln  in  February,  1862,  followed  by 
that  of  his  father  in  April,  1865. 

From  the  hall  to  our  left  and  in  front  of  us  a  stair- 
way leads  to  the  upper  floor  of  the  Mansion.  A  broad 
hall  runs  from  end  to  end  of  the  second  story,  and  from 
this  hall  open  on  either  hand  the  living  and  sleeping 
rooms  of  the  President  and  his  family.  The  first  room 
on  the  south  side  of  the  eastern  end  of  the  hall,  which 
is  used  as  picture  gallery,  promenade  and  smoking-room, 
is  the  family  sitting-room  and  parlor — a  spacious  and 
comfortable  apartment.  The  second  room  beyond  is  the 
bedroom  occupied  by  Lincoln  and  Grant,  and  the  one 

Position  19.    Map  4. 


WIVES    OF    THE    PRESIDENTS  103 

made  historic  by  Garfield's  long  suffering.  It  will  sur- 
prise you,  however,  to  know  that  until  a  very  recent 
period  hospitality,  save  in  the  restricted  sense  of  giving 
dinners,  was  almost  an  impossibility  for  the  President, 
for  the  reason  that  the  subordination  of  the  building 
from  its  originally  purposed  use  as  a  dwelling  for  the 
chief  magistrate  to  its  official  use  as  a  bureau  of  ap- 
pointments and  a  rendezvous  for  patronage-hunting 
politicians,  left  no  sleeping  accommodations  for  guests. 
There  were,  until  the  recent  remodeling  of  the  White 
House,  only  seven  sleeping  rooms  in  the  mansion,  be- 
sides those  of  the  servants  on  the  basement  floor  beneath 
us.  Thus,  if  a  President  had  a  moderately  numerous 
household,  he  could  hardly  spare  for  guests  more  than 
the  big  state  bedroom.  A  President  might  wish  to  in- 
vite an  embassador  and  his  family,  or  a  party  of  dis- 
tinguished travellers  from  abroad,  to  spend  a  few  days 
at  the  White  House,  but  he  could  not  do  so  without 
finding  lodgings  elsewhere  for  members  of  his  own 
household. 

The  door  in  front  of  us  and  to  the  left  opens  into  a 
corridor  which  extends  through  the  central  structure 
to  the  west  wing.  Three  of  the  rooms  opening  off  from 
this  corridor  to  the  south  have  taken  name  from  the  pre- 
dominant color  scheme  of  the  decoration.  The  Green 
Eoom  adjoins  the  apartment  in  which  we  are  standing, 
and  beyond  it  are  the  Blue  Eoom  and  the  Eed  Eoom. 
The  Green  Eoom,  used  for  a  music  room,  contains  por- 
traits of  several  former  mistresses  of  the  White  House, 
and  a  study  of  them  leads  one  to  the  belief  that  our 
Presidents'  wives,  with  few  exceptions,  have  been  simple 
matrons  who  on  their  elevation  to  the  first  social  station 
in  the  country  have  performed  their  duties  creditably, 
with  that  ready  adaptation  to  new  conditions  which  is 
so  marked  a  peculiarity  of  American  women.    In  recent 

Position  19.    Map  4. 


104  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

times  there  lias  been  a  mistress  of  the  Mansion  who 
taught  her  boys  Latin  and  Greek  and  read  the  best  of 
current  literature,  and  another  who  is  remembered  for 
her  kindly  and  cordial  ways  and  earnest  interest  in 
charities  and  reforms.  One  has  left  a  tradition  of  ele- 
gant manners;  one  never  appeared  in  public,  but  lived 
in  seclusion,  devoted  to  domestic  duties,  and  making 
with  her  own  hands  butter  from  the  milk  of  a  favorite 
cow.  The  Blue  Eoom,  which  adjoins  the  apartment  in 
which  hang  the  portraits  of  many  of  these  women,  is 
used  by  the  President  as  a  reception-room,  and  the  Red 
Eoom,  beyond  it,  is  used  for  receptions  by  the  ladies  of 
the  President's  household.  Opening  from  the  room  last 
named,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  central  structure, 
is  the  State  Dining-room,  only  used  when  large  com- 
panies are  entertained  at  dinner.  Xow  and  then  the 
room  in  which  we  are  standing  is  made  to  serve  as  a 
banqueting  hall,  but  most  of  the  formal  dinners  given 
by  the  President  have  for  their  setting  the  State  Dining- 
room.  Let  us  traverse  the  corridor  on  our  left  and 
pay  a  visit  to  this  apartment. 

Position  20.    Dignified  Beauty  of  the  State  Dining 

Moom  in  the  White  House  (facing  west 

%v all),  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  near  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  State  Dining-room  and  looking  toward  the  west 
wall.  This  apartment  in  early  times  was  called  the 
"  company  dining-room,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
family  dining-room  across  the  hall.  The  long  table 
on  our  left  seats  thirty-eight  persons.  In  the  middle 
sits  the  President,  and  opposite  the  mistress  of  the 
mansion.  No  order  of  precedence  is  observed  in  goim: 
in  to  dinner,  or  in  seating  the  guests.  Something  of 
this  sort  was  attempted  in  the  first  days,  but  abandoned 

Positions  19,  20.    Map  4. 


SOCIAL    LIFE    OF    THE    PRESIDENT  105 

as  not  practicable,  and  perhaps  also  as  not  sensible,  in 
a  country  with  democratic  institutions. 

There  was  a  time  when  it  was  thought  the  duty  of 
the  President  to  invite  each  Senator  and  Eepresentative 
to  dinner  once  a  year ;  but  as  the  two  Houses  have  grown 
in  their  membership  this  burdensome  custom  has  fallen 
into  disuse.  President  Johnson  was  the  last  to  adhere 
to  it.  If  a  President's  dinner  invitations  include,  in 
a  single  season,  the  Senators,  the  Justices  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  the  foreign 
ministers  and  a  sprinkling  of  influential  members  of 
the  lower  House  and  distinguished  officers  of  the  army 
and  navy,  he  is  thought  to  have  done  his  duty  in  this 
direction  with  sufficient  liberality.  Much  the  best  of 
White  House  sociability  is  found  at  informal  dinners 
and  lunches,  at  which  only  a  few  guests  are  present 
with  the  President's  family,  and  at  evenings  "  at  home," 
for  which  no  cards  are  sent  out.  Then  there  is  conversa- 
tion and  music,  and  one  may  meet  a  score  of  famous 
men  with  their  wives  and  daughters. 

Some  Presidents  are  remembered  for  the  number  of 
their  state  dinners,  others  for  their  receptions  and  others 
for  the  cordial  social  tone  they  gave  to  the  life  of  the 
mansion  by  small  entertainments,  by  being  accessible  to 
all  the  world,  and  by  making  people  feel  at  home.  Each' 
presidential  household  has  modified  in  some  degree  the 
customs  of  the  place  to  suit  its  own  tastes  and  habits. 
Perhaps  the  most  important  innovation  on  long-estab- 
lished precedent  was  made  by  General  Grant,  who  broke 
through  the  traditional  etiquette  which  forbade  a  Presi- 
dent to  make  visits.  Formerly  the  President  saw  the 
inside  of  no  house  but  his  own,  and  was  in  some  sort 
a  prisoner  during  his  term  of  office.  He  could  drive  out 
or  go  to  the  theatre,  but  he  could  not  make  a  social 
call  or  attend  a  reception  at  a  friend's  house.     Xow  he 

Position  20.    Map  4. 


106  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

goes  to  weddings  and  parties,  makes  calls  and  dines  out 
as  freely  as  any  other  citizen.  Indeed,  the  tendency  of 
White  House  customs  is  toward  less  formality,  and  more 
ease  and  freedom  of  social  intercourse,  rather  than  in 
the  other  direction. 

Aforetime  the  business  quarters  of  the  President  were 
on  the  floor  above  us.  Thus,  the  room  in  which  Lin- 
coln and  many  another  President  performed  weighty 
service  is  directly  over  the  East  Room,  while  the  Cabinet 
Eoom  of  other  days  is  over  the  Green  Room.  Though 
the  offices  of  the  President  have  now  been  removed  to 
the  new  west  wing,  which  covers  the  site  of  the  con- 
servatory of  an  earlier  day,  it  is  possible  for  us  to  set 
time  and  change  at  naught,  and,  ascending  to  the  floor 
above  us,  pay  a  visit  to  the  Chief  Executive  in  the  room 
where  formerly  his  Cabinet  held  their  meetings. 

Position  21.     President  Roosevelt  in  the  Cabinet 
Room,  the  White  House,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  the  presence  of  the  President, 
but  not  in  the  historic  room  where  Lincoln  signed  the 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation;  that  is  on  our  right, 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  this  second  story.  This  very 
room,  however,  was  used  by  Lincoln  as  his  office,  and 
is  endeared  by  a  thousand  wise  and  kindly  acts  of  the 
great  war  President.  The  walls  of  the  apartment  in 
which  the  President  greets  us  are  hung,  as  you  will 
note,  with  portraits  of  his  predecessors,  and  the  room 
is  rich  in  other  objects  of  historic  interest.  But  we  are 
most  concerned  for  the  moment  with  the  stalwart  Ameri- 
can before  us,  and  with  the  duties  and  labors  of  his 
great  office.  It  has  well  been  said  that  the  man  who 
takes  this  office  indentures  himself  to  four  years  of  the 
heaviest  servitude  that  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  any  mortal, 
and  that  a  President  who  should  not  bring  to  the  White 

Positions  20,  21.     Map  4. 


LABORS    OF    THE    PRESIDENT  107 

House  a  relish  for  drudgery,  business-like  habits  of  the 
nicest  discrimination  and  a  constitution  of  iron  would 
be  President  only  in  name,  even  as  regards  his  more 
important  duties.  The  President  as  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army  and  navy  is  accountable  to  the  people 
for  the  personnel  and  efficiency  of  both  services;  he  is 
the  supervisor  of  the  acts  of  the  members  of  the  Cabi- 
net, who  are  the  heads  of  the  executive  departments; 
with  him  rests  the  power  to  grant  reprieves  and  par- 
dons; he  is  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  our  rela- 
tions with  all  other  nations,  and  with  few  exceptions 
he  must  select  men  to  fill  all  vacancies  in  the  vast  army 
of  public  officials. 

Furthermore,  he  must  undergo  the  clerical  drudgery 
of  signing  every  nomination  and  commission ;  and  finally 
he  must  sit  in  judgment  on  all  legislation,  impart  in- 
formation to  the  houses  of  Congress  on  the  state  of  the 
Union  and  suggest  measures  necessary  to  the  further- 
ance of  the  domestic  and  foreign  policy  of  his  adminis- 
tration. This  is  a  long  catalogue  of  labors  for  the  man 
who  has  risen  from  his  chair  to  greet  us,  but  perhaps 
the  most  onerous  of  his  duties  is  the  reception  of  the 
visitors  who,  for  one  reason  or  another,  make  demands 
upon  his  time  and  good  nature.  Persons  who  seek 
audience  with  the  President  are  met  at  the  door  by  a 
quiet,  sagacious,  gray-haired  man,  who  has  an  instinct 
for  distinguishing  people  of  consequence  from  the  gen- 
eral multitude.  Senators,  judges,  governors  and  other 
men  of  note  find  their  cards  taken  directly  to  the  Presi- 
dent; persons  of  small  account  are  referred  to  a  polite 
man  of  color,  who  is  the  warden  of  the  private  secre- 
tary's door.  Their  business  must  be  explained  to  the* 
secretary,  and  few  of  them  ever  get  any  nearer  to  the 
seat  of  power.  The  hours  for  callers  are  from  ten  to 
one,  save  on  the  days  of  regular  Cabinet  meetings.     In 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


108  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

the  afternoon  the  President  sees  visitors  by  special  ap- 
pointment, and  most  of  his  evenings  are  filled  in  the 
same  way — the  business  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a 
hundred  concerning  the  disposition  of  offices.  President 
Garfield  once  said  that  he  was  obliged  to  see  an  average 
of  about  thirty  persons  for  every  office  to  be  filled.  If 
the  question  was  one  of  removal,  the  number  was  much 
greater,  including  the  friends  of  the  incumbent  as  well 
as  the  candidates  for  the  place.  A  good  story  is  told 
of  the  method  adopted  by  President  Lincoln  to  settle 
a  post-office  contest  which  had  greatly  annoyed  him. 
Petition  after  petition  had  poured  in  upon  the.  weary 
President,  and  delegation  after  delegation  had  come  to 
the  White  House  to  argue  the  claims  of  the  rival  aspi- 
rants. Finally,  after  he  had  been  bored  for  an  hour  by 
a  fresh  delegation,  Mr.  Lincoln  said  to  his  secretary: 
"  This  matter  has  got  to  end  somehow.  Bring  a  pair 
of  scales."  The  scales  were  brought.  "  Now  put  in  all 
the  petitions  and  letters  in  favor  of  one  man,  and  see 
how  much  they  weigh,  and  then  weigh  the  other  candi- 
date's papers."  It  was  found  that  one  bundle  was  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  heavier  than  the  other.  "  Make 
out  the  appointment  for  the  man  who  has  the  heaviest 
papers,"  ordered  the  President,  and  it  was  done. 

Now,  as  formerly,  the  office  of  the  secretary  to  the 
President  adjoins  that  of  his  chief,  whose  right  hand 
he  is  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  term.  The  present 
office  system  in  the  White  House,  however,  is  a  growth 
of  recent  years.  Before  President  Johnson's  time  no 
records  or  files  were  kept,  and  there  were  no  clerks. 
President  Lincoln  had  two  secretaries,  Mr.  Nicolay  and 
Colonel  Hay ;  but  the  law  recognized  only  one,  the  other 
being  an  army  officer  detailed  for  special  service — any 
extra  clerical  work  being  done  by  clerks  detailed  from 
one  of  the   departments.     Now  there  are  four  rooms 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


THE    CABINET    OF    THE    PRESIDENT  109 

occupied  by  the  secretary  to  the  President  and  his  staff 
of  clerks.  Big  ledgers  of  applications  for  office  are 
posted  up  daily,  numerous  pigeon-holes  are  filled  with 
letters  and  petitions,  the  newspapers  are  read  and  scrap- 
books  made,  one  room  is  devoted  to  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone service;  in  short,  here  are  all  the  paraphernalia 
of  a  busy  public  office.  One  of  the  files  of  letters  would 
furnish  curious  reading  to  students  of  human  nature. 
It  is  called  the  eccentric  file,  and  contains  the  epistles 
of  advice,  warning  and  "  gush  "  mailed  to  the  President 
by  cranks,  fanatics,  absurd  egotists  and  would-be  philan- 
thropists; and  how  numerous  these  peculiar  people  are 
only  those  in  high  station  know.  A  President  gets 
nearly  two  thousand  letters  a  day,  and  probably  not 
one-tenth  of  them  are  upon  any  subject  that  can  prop- 
erly be  brought  to  his  personal  notice. 

As  we  are  now  standing  in  the  room  where  Cabinets 
have  been  meeting  for  so  many  years,  it  is  a  fitting  time 
to  consider  for  a  few  minutes  the  place  they  occupy  in 
our  national  affairs.  Although  the  Cabinet,  as  an  ad- 
visory body,  has  no  regularly  defined  or  necessary  place 
in  our  constitutional  scheme,  its  members,  as  heads  of 
executive  departments,  perform  important  functions  in 
our  governmental  system.  The  Constitution  says  that 
the  President  "  may  require  the  opinion  in  writing  of 
the  principal  officer  in  each  of  the  executive  departments 
upon  any  subject  relating  to  the  duties  of  their  re- 
spective offices,"  but  he  is  under  no  obligation  to  be 
guided  by  these  opinions.  Washington  consulted  the 
Cabinet  officers  on  important  matters,  but  the  custom 
of  assembling  them  in  joint  consultation  as  at  present 
did  not  come  into  vogue  until  later  administrations. 
The  meetings  of  the  Cabinet  are  secret,  and  no  record 
is  kept  of  their  proceedings. 

The  Cabinet  now  has  an  especial  importance  under 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


110  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

the  law  from  the  fact  that,  by  an  Act  of  Congress  passed 
in  1886,  the  duties  of  the  Presidency  may,  in  a  certain 
contingency,  devolve  upon  some  of  its  members.  In 
the  cases  in  which,  from  whatever  cause,  there  is  no 
President  or  Vice-President,  the  members  of  the  Cabi- 
net, in  the  following  order,  stand  in  line  of  succession: 
Secretary  of  State,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Secretary 
of  War,  Attorney-General,  Postmaster-General,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

The  Cabinet  consists  of  eight  officers  now,  but  it  had 
only  four  in  the  early  part  of  the  Presidency  of  George 
Washington.  At  that  time  the  Secretaries  of  State, 
Treasury  and  War  and  the  Attorney-General  composed 
the  whole  of  the  President's  ministerial  council.  The 
Departments  of  State,  of  Treasury  and  of  War  were 
created  by  Congress  in  1789,  the  first  year  of  the  Gov- 
ernment under  the  Constitution.  Here  are  the  dates 
at  which  the  first  officers  to  fill  the  positions  comprised 
in  the  present  Cabinet  were  appointed :  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  September  11,  1789;  Secretary  of  War,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1789 ;  Secretary  of  State,  Postmaster-General 
and  Attorney-General,  each  September  26,  1789;  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  May  21,  1798;  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, March  8,  1849;  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1889,  and  Secretary  of  Labor  and  Commerce, 
February,  1903,  The  office  of  Postmaster-General,  how- 
ever, did  not  become  a  Cabinet  post  until  1825,  and 
the  Attorney-General,  although  a  member  of  the  Cabi- 
net from  the  first  year  of  the  Government,  did  not  have 
the  Department  of  Justice  to  preside  over  until  1870. 

The  American  Cabinet  is  responsible  to  the  Execu- 
tive, and  not  to  the  law-making  power,  in  this  respect 
differing  radically  from  Cabinets  under  the  British 
Government,  and  retires  with  the  President  who  created 
it.     Most  of  the  greatest  statesmen  which  the  country 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


CABINET    MEMBERS    OF    THE    PAST  111 

has  known  have  served  at  one  time  or  other  in  their 
career  in  the  Cabinet,  the  greater  part  of  them  in  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State.  This  post,  or  that  which 
corresponds  to  it,  is,  in  the  United  States  and  most  of 
the  other  great  nations,  the  most  important  in  the 
Ministerial  council.  Xearly  all  the  other  Cabinet  posi- 
tions, however,  have,  on  occasion,  been  filled  by  con- 
spicuous statesmen  and  publicists. 

There  were  no  parties  in  Washington's  early  days  in 
the  Presidency,  but  the  debates  in  the  Constitutional 
Convention  and  in  the  State  Legislatures,  regarding 
certain  provisions  in  the  Constitution,  revealed  broad 
differences  of  opinion  on  many  matters  of  national  con- 
cern. Desiring  to  secure  for  his  Cabinet  the  ablest  men 
to  be  obtained,  our  first  President  selected  Alexander 
Hamilton,  the  leading  exponent  of  one  school  of  poli- 
tical thought,  and  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  ablest  advo- 
cate of  the  opposing  school.  Hamilton  was  made  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  and  Jefferson  Secretary  of  State. 
Those  who  agreed  with  Hamilton  came  to  be  called 
Federalists  and  the  others  Eepublicans.  Washington, 
John  Adams  and  John  Marshall  were  among  the  lead- 
ing Federalists,  and  James  Madison,  James  Monroe  and 
Albert  Gallatin  were  a  few  of  the  most  conspicuous 
Eepublicans.  The  Republican  party  of  Jefferson's  time 
was  the  parent  of  what  has  been  known  since  Jackson's 
Presidency  as  the  Democratic  party.  The  present  Re- 
publican party  is  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  Federalisf 
organization  through  the  Whig  party. 

Since  Washington's  Presidency  the  custom  has  been 
for  the  Executive  to  select  Cabinet  officers  in  harmony 
with  his  views  on  the  leading  issues  of  national  policy. 
During  the  past  seventy  years  there  has  virtually  been 
no  deviation  from  this  practice,  except  in  the  case  of 
President  Hayes,  who  chose  D.  M.  Key,  a  Tennessee 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


112  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Democrat,  for  Postmaster-General.  Key  subsequently 
became  a  Republican.  Lincoln  intended  to  adopt  Wash- 
ington's plan  of  calling  a  political  opponent  into  his 
council,  but  was  deterred  by  the  secession  movement, 
after  offering  unsuccessfully  a  Cabinet  post  to  two 
Southern  men.  The  scheme,  though,  was  not  a  success 
in  Washington's  case.  Jefferson,  finding  himself  out 
of  harmony  with  his  chief  and  the  other  members  of 
the  Cabinet,  stepped  down  after  about  four  years  of 
service,  and  was  succeeded  by  Edmund  Randolph,  whose 
leanings  were  toward  Federalism.  No  doubt  you  have 
heard  the  Cabinet  spoken  of  as  a  graveyard  of  presi- 
dential aspirations,  but  that  is  not  true.  Of  the  twenty- 
five  Presidents  not  less  than  seven  had  held  Cabinet 
offices  before  their  election.  Of  the  thirty-six  men  who 
have  been  Secretary  of  State  six  afterward  became 
President — namely,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Monroe,  John 
Quincy  Adams,  Martin  Van  Buren  and  James  Bu- 
chanan. However,  no  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  or  of 
the  Navy  or  of  the  Interior,  and  no  Postmaster-General 
or  Attorney-General  ever  became  President. 

Each  member  of  the  Cabinet  is  a  man  of  work,  like 
his  chief.  Indeed,  most  Cabinet  officers  devote  more 
hours  of  each  day  to  hard  labor  than  any  of  the  sub- 
ordinates in  their  departments,  while  to  the  labor 
that  they  perform  is  to  be  added  in  some  instances 
a  vast  weight  of  responsibility  when  the  course  to  be 
pursued  by  a  department  may  have  much  to  do  with 
the  disturbance  or  continued  even  tenor  of  business. 
That  there  is  much  of  anxiety  to  be  borne  in  the 
Cabinet  offices  is  known  to  all  who  recall  the  pathetic 
fate  of  Secretaries  Folger,  Manning  and  Windom,  eacli 
of  whom,  no  doubt,  hastened  his  death  by  too  close 
application  to  the  business  of  the  Treasury  during 
periods   of  the   history  of  that   department   when   the 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


WHEN    LINCOLN    WAS    PRESIDENT  113 

public  attention  was  fixed  upon  it,  and  public  expecta- 
tion was  regarding  the  Secretary  as  an  officer  endowed 
with  the  power  to  restore  business  peace  and  general 
prosperity  by  the  adoption  of  a  policy. 

We  are  looking  toward  the  northwest  corner  of  this 
room.  A  large  square  room  to  the  right,  and  adjoining 
this  one  in  which  we  are  standing,  was  used  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  as  his  office  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
furnished  a  setting  for  a  thousand  moving  and  tender 
incidents  of  that  great  struggle.  The  walls  which  shut 
it  from  us  beheld  an  unending  procession  seeking  audi- 
ence with  the  gaunt,  sad-faced  man  who  during  four 
weary  years  bore  upon  his  shoulders  a  burden  greater 
than  that  sustained  by  Washington.  Those  seeking  aid 
for  themselves  or  for  others  made  early  discovery  of 
Lincoln's  kindness  of  heart,  and  of  the  fact  that  his 
sympathy  went  out  spontaneously  to  all  in  distress. 
The  best-remembered  appeals  to  his  clemency  were  made 
in  behalf  of  soldiers  under  sentence  of  death  for  deser- 
tion, and  books  and  newspapers,  and  living  men  as  well, 
teem  with  anecdotes  of  offenders  who  owed  their  lives 
to  his  interposition. 

Humor  and  pathos  were  often  blended  in  Lincoln's 
exercise  of  the  pardoning  power.  Thomas  Ford,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Ohio,  coming  to  the  White  House 
on  an  autumn  evening  in  1862  to  keep  an  appointment 
with  the  President,  was  accosted  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
floor  below  us  by  a  young  woman,  whose  drawn  face 
and  swollen  eyes  bore  witness  to  the  fact  that  she  was 
in  sore  trouble.  Ford  halted  to  listen  to  her  story.  It 
had  to  do  with  an  orphaned  brother  and  sister,  who  had 
come  from  Germany  and  settled  in  one  of  the  Western 
States.  The  brother  when  the  war  came  had  entered 
the  army,  but,  falling  among  evil  associates,  had  been 
induced  to  desert,  with  the  melancholy  sequel — capture, 

Position  21.    Map  4. 


114  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

trial  and  sentence  to  death.  The  sister,  who  was  in 
domestic  service,  had  borrowed  the  money  for  the  jour- 
ney, and  hastened  to  Washington  to  lay  the  case  before 
the  President.  She  had  vainly  sought  for  two  days  to 
secure  an  audience  with  him,  and  finally  had  been 
ordered  away  by  the  servants. 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  Ford,  when  she  had  finished, 
"and  I  will  see  what  can  be  done."  So  saying,  he  led 
her  upstairs  and  into  the  presence  of  Lincoln  in  the 
room  adjoining  us.  "  Mr.  President,"  said  he,  "  my 
business  must  wait  till  3rou  have  heard  what  this  young 
woman  has  just  told  me." 

Lincoln,  seating  himself  at  his  desk,  listened  in  si- 
lence to  the  girl's  story,  and  then  carefully  examined 
the  petition  for  a  pardon,  which  she  handed  him,  and 
which  bore  the  signature  of  a  few  persons  who  had 
formerly  known  her  brother.  This  done,  he  studied 
her  tear-stained  face  and  the  threadbare  garb  which 
spoke  her  poverty. 

"My  child,"  said  he  kindly,  "}Tou  have  come  here 
with  no  one  to  plead  your  cause.  I  believe  you  to  be 
honest  and  truthful,  and  " — this  with  emphasis — "  you 
don't  wear  hoops.     I  will  spare  your  brother." 

And  now  we  are  to  take  our  leave  of  the  President, 
and  descending  to  another  apartment  on  the  first  floor 
pay  our  respects  to  his  wife — the  mistress  of  the  White 
House. 

Position  22.    Mrs.  Theodore  Roosevelt  at  Home  in 
the  White  House.  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  find  the  mistress  of  the  White  House  busy  at  her 
desk,  for  the  life  of  the  President's  wife,  like  that  of 
her  husband,  is  one  of  very  hard  work.  ITcr  post  though 
unofficial,  is,  nevertheless,  a  most  important  one,  and  in 
glancing  down   the  list  of  Presidents  the  influence  of 

Positions  21 ,  22.    Map  4. 


MISTRESSES    OF    THE    WHITE    HOUSE  115 

their  social  surroundings  in  shaping  the  success  of  ad- 
ministrations and  tempering  the  rancor  of  partisan  feel- 
ing is  visible  at  every  step.  The  era  of  good  feeling  in 
the  days  of  Monroe  was  due  in  large  part  to  the  admir- 
able tact  of  his  queenly  wife,  while  the  bitterness  of 
sectional  hostility  in  Buchanan's  time  was  disarmed  by 
the  assimilation  of  opposing  political  forces  within  the 
influence  of  the  social  circle  presided  over  by  his  niece, 
Harriet  Lane.  Mrs.  Hayes  holds  a  conspicuous  place 
among  later  mistresses  of  the  White  House.  A  woman 
of  remarkable  force  and  attractive  manners,  she  worked 
with  and  for  her  husband,  was  his  counsellor  and  friend, 
and  though  she  did  not  openly  interfere  in  politics,  no 
President's  wife  has  exercised  such  power  over  public 
affairs.  Five-and-twenty  Presidents  have  entered  the 
White  House.  Of  the  women  who  have  accompanied 
them,  some  have  come  reluctantly,  some  gladly,  but  one 
and  all  have  acquitted  themselves  with  a  dignity  and 
a  sense  of  fitness  that  gives  a  new  meaning  to  the  na- 
tional boast  that  any  American  girl  can  be  a  four  years' 
queen. 

It  is  time  for  us  to  take  our  leave  of  the  White 
House,  but  before  doing  so  let  us  return  for  a  moment 
to  the  second  story,  and,  with  the  pillars  of  the  great 
portico  framing  in  the  picture,  look  northward  over 
Lafayette  Square.  Turn  to  Map  No.  4  and  note  the 
two  red  lines  having  the  figure  23  at  the  end  of  each, 
which  radiate  northward  from  the  White  House.  These 
lines  are  given  also  on  the  General  Map  of  Washington. 
The  apex  of  these  lines  will  be  our  next  point  of  vision. 

Position  22.    Map  4. 


11G  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STErEOSCOPE 

Position   23.     Charming   Northern    Outlook   over 

Lafayette  Square  from  the  President's 

Home,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  at  a  window  cut  in  the  north 
wall  of  the  second  story  of  the  White  House  (see  north 
front  of  the  White  House  from  Position  18)  and  look- 
ing out  upon  Lafayette  Square.  The  Treasury  Build- 
ing is  on  our  right,  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building 
on  our  left,  and  in  our  rear  the  Potomac.  The  spirited 
statue  which  holds  the  centre  of  the  square  in  front 
of  us  shows  General  Jackson  as  the  hero  of  New  Or- 
leans, and  it  will  interest  you  to  know  that  it  was  cast 
from  cannon  captured  in  Jackson's  campaigns.  The 
steeple  rising  above  the  trees  to  the  right  of  the  statue 
is  that  of  St.  John's  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Sixteenth 
and  H  Streets,  and  a  stone's  throw  from  it,  though  hid- 
den from  our  view,  is  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
facing  Fifteenth  Street,  where  President  Eoosevelt  wor- 
ships of  a  Sunday.  Yet  farther  afield  on  our  left,  at 
the  corner  of  Eighteenth  Street  and  Connecticut  Avenue, 
is  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  which  formerly  num- 
bered President  Harrison  among  its  attendants. 

No  portion  of  Washington  is  richer  in  human  interest 
than  the  one  before  us.  Hidden  behind  trees  on  our 
right,  at  the  corner  of  Madison  Place  and  H  Street,  is 
the  long-time  home  of  Dolly  Madison,  now  occupied  by 
the  scientific  Cosmos  Club.  This  house  was  part  of  the 
estate  left  by  Madison  when  he  died  in  June,  183G.  His 
widow  was  then  too  poor  to  occupy  it,  but  in  March, 
1837,  Congress  appropriated  $30,000  to  purchase  Madi- 
son's diary  of  the  debates  and  events  connected  with 
the  framing  of  the  Constitution,  and  this  money,  later 
supplemented  by  another  generous  appropriation  for  the 
purchase  of  the  ex-President's  unpublished  papers,  en- 

Posltloa  23.    Map*  2,  4. 


MEMORIES    OF    DOLLY    MADISON  117 

abled  Mrs.  Madison  to  live  in  her  city  house.  And 
so  in  the  fall  of  1837  she  gladly  returned  to  the  capital 
to  renew  in  private  life  the  social  triumphs  of  her  ear- 
lier years.  Indeed,  for  more  than  a  decade  her  house 
fairly  rivalled  the  White  House  as  a  social  centre.  The 
same  distinguished  personages  who  on  Xew  Year's  Day 
paid  their  respects  to  the  President  hastened  across  the 
square  in  front  of  us  to  greet  Mrs.  Madison  with  all 
good  wishes;  and  on  every  Fourth  of  July  her  parlors 
were  thronged.  The  day  of  her  death,  in  July,  1849, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  was  one  of  sincere  and  uni- 
versal mourning  in  Washington.  After  her  passing  her 
house  was  occupied  by  Commodore  Wilkes  until  the 
Civil  War,  when  it  became  the  headquarters  of  General 
McClellan. 

Hidden  also  from  our  view  by  the  trees  to  the  left 
of  the  Jackson  statue  is  the  old  Decatur  Mansion.  This 
house,  built  by  Latrobe  in  1819,  was  the  first  private 
dwelling  erected  on  Lafayette  Square,  known  in  those 
early  days  as  Burns'  Orchard.  It  is  a  roomy  structure 
of  red  brick,  with  a  pyramidal  slated  roof  and  severely 
plain  front,  but  in  the  days  of  its  first  owner  the  gor- 
geousness  of  the  interior  fully  compensated  for  any  lack 
of  outward  adornment.  Commodore  Decatur  was  then 
the  most  widely  known  and  admired  officer  in  the  navy, 
and  the  history  of  his  life  was  written  on  the  walls  of 
his  home,  which  were  covered  with  the  trophies  of  his 
many  successes,  both  of  war  and  peace.  His  wife,  a 
famous  Virginia  belle,  had  been  sought  in  marriage  by 
Jerome  Bonaparte,  but  on  the  advice  of  a  shrewd  friend, 
who  predicted  that  Xapoleon  would  never  recognize  the 
marriage,  she  refused  him,  to  become  in  due  time  the 
wife  of  the  man  whom  Xelson  declared  to  be  the  most 
daring  captain  of  the  age.  The  Decaturs  at  once  be- 
came social  leaders  in  Washington,  but  for  only  a  single 

Position  23.    Maps  2,  4. 


118  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

season.  On  March  22,  1820,  occurred  the  husband's 
needless,  fatal  meeting  with  Commodore  Barron  on  the 
old  duelling  ground  at  Bladensburg,  and  Decatur  was 
brought  home  to  die  in  the  house  he  had  built  less  than 
a  year  before.  Since  Decatur's  day  the  house  has  en- 
closed a  full  measure  of  wit  and  beauty,  for  it  has  rarely 
been  without  some  famous  occupant.  Henry  Clay  lived 
there  while  Secretary  of  State  under  John  Quincy 
Adams,  and  his  successors  in  office,  Martin  Van  Buren 
and  Edward  Livingston,  occupied  it  in  the  same  capa- 
city. From  1873  until  his  death,  twenty  years  later, 
it  was  owned  and  occupied  by  General  Edward  Beale, 
who  with  his  accomplished  wife  made  it  the  centre  of 
all  that  was  best  in  Washington  society.  Beale  was  a 
grandson  of  Commodore  Truxton,  under  whom  Decatur, 
the  builder  of  this  house,  had  served  as  a  midshipman. 
In  the  rear  of  the  Decatur  mansion,  at  the  corner  of 
Connecticut  Avenue  and  H  Street,  and  only  five  min- 
utes' walk  from  where  we  are  standing,  is  the  house 
occupied  by  Daniel  Webster  while  Secretary  of  State, 
and  within  whose  walls  the  Ashburton  Treaty  was  dis- 
cussed and  practically  concluded.  After  Webster  left  it 
this  house  became  the  home  of  William  W.  Corcoran, 
whose  name  it  still  bears  and  who  was  long  the  foremost 
citizen  of  Washington  in  private  life.  The  story  of  Cor- 
coran's  career  is  one  of  the  romances  of  the  capital.  A 
native  of  Georgetown,  he  began  as  an  auctioneer,  and 
later  became  a  banker  and  broker.  When,  in  1816, 
Congress  voted  $10,000,000  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
war  against  Mexico,  the  funding  of  the  loan  which 
this  appropriation  involved  was  undertaken  by  Cor- 
coran. Subscribers  for  only  a  part  of  the  fund  could 
be  found  in  America,  and  in  the  end  he  was  compelled 
to  seek  aid  in  London.  There  he  succeeded  in  enlisting 
the  greatest  1  tanking  houses  in  support  of  a  loan  that 

Position  23.    Maps  2,  4. 


THE    PRESIDENT    AND    THE    PUBLIC 


119 


seemed  perilous,  but  afterward  rose  to  a  high  premium 
and  brought  large  profits  to  all  interested  in  it.  This 
negotiation,  so  creditable  to  his  courage  and  sagacity, 
was  the  beginning  of  Corcoran's  remarkable  success  as 
a  banker,  and  laid  the  basis  of  the  great  fortune,  reck- 
oned by  the  millions,  which  in  after  years  enabled  its 
generous  master  to  lay  out  and  adorn  Oak  Hill  Ceme- 
tery on  the  heights  of  Georgetown  to  our  left,  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  pieces  of  landscape  gardening  in 
the  land ;  to  present  to  the  Washington  Orphan  Asylum 
its  valuable  grounds;  to  erect  and  endow  the  Corcoran 
Art  Galler}',  a  few  blocks  to  our  left  and  rear ;  to  present 
Columbian  University  with  a  lucrative  estate;  to  make 
liberal  donations  to  other  institutions  of  learning  and  to 
disburse  in  private  charities,  during  the  last  of  his  ninety 
years  of  life,  an  amount  hardly  equalled  in  any  age. 

What  a  long  procession  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men  and  women,  too,  have  crossed  the  portico  below 
us  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  President!  The  latter's 
first-hand  intercourse  with  the  people  has  varied  with 
different  administrations,  but  a  tendency  toward  its 
restriction  has  been  noticeable  of  late  years.  President 
Johnson  gave  a  public  reception  once  a  week  during 
the  winter  season,  and  even  in  the  stress  and  agony  of 
the  Civil  War  President  Lincoln  shook  hands  with  a 
mob  of  two  or  three  thousand  people  surging  through 
the  East  Eoom  beneath  us  often  as  once  a  fortnight. 
Now,  one  or  two  public  receptions  during  a  session  of 
Congress  are  thought  a  sufficient  concession  to  the  demo- 
cratic principle.  A  Xew  Year's  Day  reception  is  de- 
manded by  the  unbroken  custom  of  a  century.  First 
the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps  present  themselves 
in  all  of  the  splendors  of  court  dress;  then  come  the 
Senators  and  Congressmen,  officers  of  the  army  and 
navy  and,  last,  the  public  in  general. 

Position  23.    Maps  2,  4. 


120  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Let  us  descend  to  the  lawn  in  front  of  us  and  watch 
the  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  lining  up  for  their 
annual  call  on  the  President.  Turn  to  Map  No.  4  and 
note  the  two  red  lines  which  radiate  westward  from  a 
point  numbered  24,  just  north  of  the  White  House. 
Our  next  point  of  vision  will  be  the  apex  of  these  lines. 

Position  24.     Admiral  Dewey  and  Officers  of  the 

Navy  in  line  at  President  Roosevelt's  New 

Year  Reception,  Washington ,  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  in  front  of  the  White  House, 
looking  west  to  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building,  seen 
looming  up  through  the  trees,  with  Lafayette  Square 
on  our  right  and  the  Treasury  Building  in  our  rear. 
There  is  more  than  one  familiar  face  in  the  long  line 
before  us.  At  its  head  stand  Admiral  Dewey  and  Eear- 
Admiral  Schley,  heroes  of  the  two  great  sea  fights  of 
our  war  with  Spain.  Just  behind  them  are  Captain 
Wainwright  and  "  Fighting  Bob  "  Evans,  while  Eear- 
Admiral  Watson,  "  Able  Seaman  Johnny "  as  his 
familiars  call  him,  gazes  at  us  over  the  shoulder  of  the 
former,  and  farther  down  the  line  we  see  the  spectacled 
face  of  Captain  Sigsbee,  whilom  commander  of  the 
Maine.  There  is  gold  lace  a-plenty  in  the  group  before 
us,  but  this  is  the  first  time  we  have  noted  its  presence 
in  or  about  the  White  House.  Indeed,  we  have  cause 
to  be  proud  that  no  soldier  walks  his  beat  before  its  por- 
tal, as  before  all  executive  offices  and  palaces  in  other 
lands.  There  have  been  no  soldiers  as  guardians  under 
the  shadow  of  the  great  columns  on  our  right  since  the 
Civil  War;  and  even  then,  on  one  fierce  winter  night, 
the  boy  in  blue  who  was  on  guard  was  not  allowed  to 
maintain  professional  decorum.  President  Lincoln 
emerged  from  the  front  door  on  his  way  to  the  War 
Department  in  front  of  us,  where  in  times  of  battle 

Position  24.    Map  4. 


AN    ANECDOTE    OF    LINCOLN  121 

he  was  wont  to  go  for  the  midnight  despatches  from  the 
field.  As  the  blast  struck  him  he  turned  to  the  pacing 
sentry  and  said,  "  Young  man,  you've  got  a  cold  job 
to-night;  step  inside,  and  stand  guard  there." 

"  My  orders  keep  me  out  here,"  was  the  soldier's 
reply. 

"Yes,"  said  the  President,  "but  your  duty  can  be 
performed  just  as  well  inside  as  out  here,  and  you'll 
oblige  me  by  going  in/ 

"  I  have  been  stationed  outside,"  the  soldier  answered, 
and  resumed  his  beat. 

"  Hold  on  there ! "  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  turning  back 
again.  "  It  occurs  to  me  that  I  am  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army,  and  I  order  you  to  go  inside." 

The  building  to  which  the  great  war  President  made 
so  many  midnight  visits  aforetime  occupied  a  portion 
of  the  site  of  the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building  which 
we  see  in  the  rear  of  the  living  line  in  front  of  us.  We 
will  stroll  now  to  the  south  side  of  the  White  House 
and  get  an  unobstructed  view  of  this  newer  and  larger 
structure.  Turn  to  Map  No.  4  again  and  search  out 
the  two  red  lines  which  start  from  figure  2  at  a  point 
a  little  south  of  the  White  House  and  spread  north  and 
west.  We  are  to  look  next  upon  the  State,  War  and 
Navy  Building  from  the  point  from  which  these  lines 
start. 

Position  25,     State,    War    and    Navy    Building, 

where  National  Business  of  Vast  Importance 

goes  on,  Washington,  U,S.A. 

The  four-storied  granite  structure  which  now  com- 
mands our  admiration,  with  its  frontage  of  342  and 
depth  of  565  feet,  its  500  rooms  and  two  miles  of  marble 
halls,  ranks  as  the  largest  office  building  in  the  world. 

Positions  24,  25.    Map  4. 


122  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

As  an  illustration  of  how  Uncle  Sam  does  his  house- 
keeping, it  will  interest  you  to  know  something  of  its 
interior  economy.  It  is  occupied,  as  you  know,  by  the 
departments  of  State,  War  and  Navy,  and  it  is  man- 
aged by  a  commission  composed  of  the  secretaries  in 
charge  of  those  three  branches  of  the  Government  ser- 
vice. They  choose  an  executive  officer  from  the  engi- 
neer corps  of  the  army  or  navy,  who  is  appointed  by 
the  President  on  their  recommendation.  Congress  ap- 
propriates about  $160,000  a  year  for  the  management 
and  maintenance  of  the  building,  which  is  kept  some- 
what like  a  huge  apartment  house.  The  scale  on  which 
the  housekeeping  is  done  may  be  conceived  from  the 
fact  that  eighty  charwomen  are  employed  to  do  nothing 
but  scrub  the  floors  of  the  corridors.  They  work  from 
4  to  6  p.m.  each  week  day  and  get  twenty  dollars  a 
month.  There  are  eight  assistant  engineers,  twenty- 
four  firemen,  ten  elevator  conductors  and  twenty  labor- 
ers, who  wash  the  windows  and  steps,  clean  the  pave- 
ments and  so  forth. 

The  three  departments  are  split  up  into  bureaus  and 
divisions,  each  of  which  has  its  messenger,  who  takes 
care  of  the  rooms,  while  the  executive  officer  keeps  the 
corridors  clean  and  sees  that  the  building  is  properly 
heated,  lighted,  repaired,  ventilated  and  guarded.  For 
this  last  purpose  he  employs  fifty-eight  watchmen,  a 
captain  of  the  watch  and  two  lieutenants.  Every  part 
of  the  structure  must  be  patrolled  every  two  hours  of 
the  day  and  night,  and,  to  ensure  the  performance  of 
this  duty,  each  man  is  required  to  touch  a  series  of 
electric  buttons  along  his  line  of  inspection,  which 
record  on  a  pasteboard  dial  in  the  office  on  the  first 
floor  the  exact  minutes  when  they  were  pressed.  Be- 
tween five  and  seven  o'clock  each  evening  they  go  into 
every  room  and  draw  all  the  window-shades  down  ex- 

Positlon  25.    Map  4. 


LIBRARY    01     THfi    STATE    DEPARTMENT  123 

actly  half  way,  so  that  they  will  look  nicely  from  the 
street,  at  the  same  time  closing  all  connecting  doors  as 
a  precaution  against  the  spread  of  possible  fire. 

Each  department  in  the  building  repairs  and  renews 
its  own  furniture  from  a  contingent  fund  provided  for 
that  purpose,  including  all  carpets,  but  the  latter  are 
taken  up  every  spring,  sent  to  be  cleaned  and  put  down 
in  the  autumn  by  the  executive  officer.  He  has  the 
cleaning  done  by  contract  at  two  and  one-half  cents  a 
yard.  The  business  of  cleaning  carpets  for  the  Govern- 
ment is  a  big  affair,  and  the  job  is  eagerly  bid  for.  The 
executive  officer  of  the  State,  War  and  Xavy  edifice  says 
that  housewives  would  be  wise  to  imitate  his  practice 
and  never  take  up  matting  until  it  is  worn  out,  simply 
laying  the  carpets  over  it  in  winter,  with  a  layer  of 
paper  between  to  keep  them  from  getting  dirty.  This 
method  makes  the  carpet  wear  longer  and  saves  trouble. 

The  War  Department  occupies  the  west  wing  of  the 
great  structure  in  front  of  us,  and  the  Xavy  Depart- 
ment the  east  wing,  while  the  Secretary  of  State  and 
his  subordinates  have  rooms  in  the  south  end  of  the 
second  story.  The  library  of  the  State  Department  is 
on  the  third  floor,  and,  aside  from  the  sentimental  value 
attaching  to  the  first  public  documents  of  the  nation, 
contains  the  most  valuable  collection  of  papers  in  exist- 
ence upon  the  early  political  history  of  the  United 
States.  Could  we  visit  this  collection,  we  should  find 
in  it,  besides  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  the  papers  of  George 
^Yashington,  James  Madison,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  James  Monroe  and  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin. These  archives  are  virtually  held  in  trust  by  the 
Department  of  State  for  the  use  of  historical  writers 
and  students.  Access  to  them  is  continually  asked  and 
accorded  without  special  favor  except  so  far  as  the  care- 

Positlon25.    Map  4. 


124  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

fulness,  responsibility  and  good  faith  of  the  investi- 
gators are  concerned.  Owing  to  the  great  value  of  these 
papers  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  at  large,  it 
has  been  considered  necessary  by  the  department  at 
times  to  exercise  great  care  in  their  handling. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  came  in  the  early 
days  to  the  Department  of  State  from  the  Continental 
Congress.  It  was  subjected  early  in  the  last  century  to 
a  process  for  securing  a  fac-simile  for  a  copper  plate 
that  caused  the  ink  to  fade  and  the  parchment  to  de- 
teriorate. The  process  really  involved  taking  what  is  now 
known  as  a  letter-press  copy  from  the  face  of  the  historic 
parchment  itself.  It  was  deposited  on  June  11,  1841, 
in  the  Patent  Office,  then  a  bureau  of  the  Department 
of  State,  and  when  that  office  was  transferred  with  it's 
records  to  the  Interior  Department  by  an  act  of  March 
3,  1849,  the  Declaration  was  placed  on  exhibition  in  a 
case  in  a  brilliant  light  which  caused  the  ink  to  fade 
and  the  parchment  to  decay.  In  March,  1877,  upon 
the  completion  of  the  present  fireproof  building,  it  was 
returned  to  the  Department  of  State,  after  having  been 
on  exhibition  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1876. 

It  was  then  placed  in  a  huge  upright  glass  case  with 
steel  doors,  where  it  was  somewhat  screened  from  the 
light,  and  where  thousands  of  visitors  viewed  it  annu- 
ally. But  it  was  found  that  even  this  position  was  in- 
jurious to  the  parchment,  and  in  February,  1894,  it  was 
taken  out  of  the  case  and  a  facsimile  of  the  original 
document  substituted.  A  large,  square  steel  case  stand- 
ing near  the  entrance  to  the  library  now  contains  both 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.  These  valuable  papers  were 
placed  flat  in  the  steel  case  after  having  been  carefully 
wrapped  and  hermetically  sealed  to  prevent  the  admit- 

Posltlon25.    Map  4. 


OFFICE    OF    THE    SECRETARY    OF    STATE  125 

tance  of  air,  which  is  almost  as  fatal  to  the  parchment 
as  the  light  was  to  the  writing.  While  the  full  text  of 
the  original  Declaration  is  legible,  the  signatures  have, 
with  few  exceptions,  vanished.  There  seems  now  to  be 
no  further  danger  to  be  apprehended  for  these  two 
precious  papers,  for  the  steel  case  itself  is  in  an  iron 
hall,  which  precludes  danger  from  fire,  and  it  is  care- 
fully guarded  by  the  officials  of  the  bureau.  Strict 
orders  have  been  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  State  that 
no  one  shall  be  allowed  to  see  the  original,  and  it  is 
never  touched  under  any  circumstances. 

The  windows  of  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State 
look  down  upon  our  present  point  of  vantage.  No  of- 
ficer of  the  Government  has  more  impressive  apart- 
ments. The  ceilings  and  walls  are  elaborately  deco- 
rated, the  furniture  is  solid  and  large,  the  pictures  are 
those  of  former  Secretaries  of  State,  the  business  is  more 
or  less  mysterious  and  the  attendants  are  portentious 
with  the  sense  of  propriety  that  they  have  to  carry,  so 
that  the  clerk  of  smallest  pay  may  be  distinguished  any- 
where among  other  clerks  as  of  the  State  Department. 
Once  in  his  office,  the  Secretary  receives  visitors,  except 
on  the  Cabinet  days,  until  two  o'clock,  when  he  shuts 
off  all  who  do  not  come  by  appointment  or  on 
department  business  that  is  in  the  usual  run.  On 
Thursdays  he  is  supposed  to  be  accessible  to  diplomatic 
officers,  and  they  are  received  in  the  diplomatic  parlor 
just  beyond  his  private  office. 

Let  us  cross  to  the  great  structure  we  have  been  study- 
ing from  without,  and,  ascending  to  the  second  story, 
pay  a  visit  to  this  apartment,  whose  windows  we  see 
nearest  the  southwest  corner  of  the  second  storv. 


Position  25.    Map  4. 


126 


WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 


Position  26.       Diplomatic    Room — State   Depart- 
ment for  Conference  with  Representatives 
of  Foreign  Governments,  Wash- 
ington 9  U.S. A, 

The  splendid  room,  with  windows  looking  out  to  the 
south  over  the  Potomac,  in  which  we  are  now  stand- 
ing, is  the  official  meeting  place  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  and  the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  which 
stands  for  a  brilliant  and  distinctive  phase  of  social 
life  in  Washington.  The  United  States,  as  a  rule,  has 
always  been  fortunate  in  the  character  and  attainments 
of  the  envoys  it  has  received  from  abroad.  Foreign 
nations  have  seen  fit  to  send  hither  their  most  accom- 
plished diplomats,  and  to  maintain  them  in  the  most 
generous  way. 

Of  all  of  the  foreign  countries  with  representation 
at  Washington,  Great  Britain  is  the  most  liberal  in 
compensation  and  other  provisions  for  the  comfort  of 
those  it  sends  here.  The  salary  of  the  British  Ambas- 
sador falls  only  a  little  below  that  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  But  when  the  allowance  for  ex- 
penses is  taken  into  account,  the  financial  compensa- 
tions of  this  ambassadorship  are  better  than  those  of 
the  Presidency.  The  President  pays  from  his  salary  the 
cost  of  the  state  dinners  he  gives.  The  British  Ambas- 
sador lives  in  a  structure  which,  if  not  so  imposing  to 
view  from  the  exterior,  contains  more  room  than  the 
White  House.  The  Embassy  is  the  property  of  Great 
Britain.  That  country  was  the  first  to  acquire  ground 
in  Washington  and  build  an  official  residence.  To  the 
original  structure  has  been  added  a  large  ball-room  and 
an  annex  for  the  offices.  The  Embassy  is  occupied  by 
the  Ambassador  rent  free. 

Certainlv  the  tendencv  is  not  toward  curtailment  of 


Position  26.    Map  4. 


HOME    OF    THE    MEXICAN    LEGATION  127 

the  diplomatic  corps.  Every  year  adds  to  its  numbers 
and  dignity  and  cost.  While  Germany  was  represented 
here  by  a  legation,  a  very  plain  building,  in  an  un- 
fashionable part  of  the  city,  was  deemed  sufficient  to 
maintain  the  dignity  of  the  empire.  But  when  the 
German  Minister  became  an  Ambassador  the  German 
Government  purchased  one  of  the  finest  residences  on 
Highland  Terrace  for  the  Embassy.  Xot  content  with* 
that,  the  German  Government  acquired  title  to  an  ad- 
joining piece  of  ground  and  built  upon  it  a  ball-room 
of  imposing  dimensions.  The  social  phase  is  never  lost 
sight  of.  To  dance  and  to  dine  are  the  A  and  B  of 
diplomacy. 

Another  nation  which  owns  its  official  residence  in 
Washington  is  Mexico.  Like  Great  Britain,  Mexico 
bought  a  site  and  built.  The  Mexican  Legation  has  the 
ball-room,  which  is  considered  a  sine  qua  non  of  all 
diplomatic  residences.  It  also  has  what  is  conceded  to 
be  the  finest  appointed  state  dining-room  of  all  the 
legations.  This  dining-room  is  large,  and  the  spacious 
appearance  is  increased  by  mirrors  set  in  the  wall  panels. 
Thirty-six  guests  sit  with  ease  at  the  Mexican  Minister's 
table.  The  table  appointments  even  surpass  those  at 
the  state  dinners  given  at  the  White  House.  When  the 
Mexican  Legation  is  "  set  up,"  a  great  centrepiece  of 
silver  stands  upon  a  mirror  lake  bordered  with  silver 
filigree,  and  that  in  turn  rests  upon  a  broad  scarf  of 
woven  gold.  The  centrepiece  holds  flowers.  Directly 
above  it,  from  the  chandelier,  hang  festoons  of  gar- 
lands of  green.  At  the  ends  of  the  mirror  lake  are 
silver  candelabra  standing  between  pots  of  flowers.  As 
he  takes  his  seat,  each  guest  finds  in  front  of  him  a  gold 
plate,  which  disappears  with  the  first  course.  The  array 
of  knives,  forks  and  spoons  is  imposing.  It  includes 
one  of  gold  for  the  ices.     The  others  are  of  silver. 

Position  26.    Map  4, 


128  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Ranged  about  each  cover  are  cut-glass  dishes  for  almonds 
and  olives,  two  glasses  for  water  and  a  carafe,  and  ten 
wine  glasses,  differing  in  size,  shape  and  color.  On  a 
little  china  stand,  with  a  gold  monogram,  is  written  in 
French  the  menu,  so  that  the  guest  may  know  what  is 
coming.  With  this  bewildering  collection  of  gold,  sil- 
ver, glass  and  china,  a  state  dinner  at  the  Mexican  Lega- 
tion opens.  Dinner  giving  in  the  diplomatic  corps  may 
be  said  to  have  reached  its  highest  development  at  the 
Mexican  Minister's. 

A  flagstaff  is  an  inseparable  feature  of  a  legation. 
Whether  the  power  owns  or  leases  the  official  home  of 
its  representative  in  Washington,  the  flagstaff  is 
promptly  reared.  The  display  of  the  flag  is  not  con- 
spicuous. Above  the  mansion  which  the  Chinese  Min- 
ister occupies,  on  Columbia  Heights,  the  black  dragon 
wriggles  on  an  ample  field  of  yellow  every  day,  from 
sunrise  to  sunset.  None  of  the  other  legations  displays 
the  colors  daily.  The  custom  is  to  raise  the  flag  on  the 
notable  anniversaries  and  holidays  of  the  country  it 
represents.  But  the  staff  is  always  in  readiness.  The 
provision  is  more  than  ornamental.  To  all  intents  and 
purposes,  the  legation  and  its  grounds  are  foreign  ter- 
ritory. Scattered  through  Washington  are  these  spots, 
over  which  the  United  States  has  no  jurisdiction.  This 
Government  can  at  any  time  give  to  the  representative 
of  a  foreign  country  his  papers,  notifying  him  to  de- 
part. Until  this  is  done,  however,  the  legation  is  a  part 
of  the  government  it  represents.  It  is  neutral  ground 
in  time  of  war.  The  flag  flying  above  carries  the  "  right 
of  asylum."  Fugitives  are  safe  there.  It  matters  not 
if  the  legation  be  only  rented  property,  the  flag  iden- 
tifies it  as,  for  the  time,  a  part  of  the  foreign  power. 

In  time  of  peace  the  separate  sovereignty  of  the  lega- 
tion is  recognized.     Whatever  is  imported  for  the  use 

Position  26.    Map  4. 


PRIVILEGES    OF    THE    DIPLOMATIC    CORPS 


129 


of  the  legation  is  not  subject  to  the  tariff.  An  attache 
calls  here  at  the  State  Department  and  leaves  word  that 
certain  things  dutiable  are  on  the  way  to  this  country 
for  the  legation.  The  Secretary  sends  a  memorandum 
to  the  Treasury  Department.  The  proper  customs 
officers  are  notified,  and  in  due  course  of  red  tape  the 
legation  receives  the  cases  of  wine,  the  choice  brands 
of  cigars,  the  silks,  the  furniture,  the  clothing  or  what- 
ever the  invoice  may  call  for,  without  payment  of  duties. 
This  is  a  privilege  which  has  been  abused,  but  only 
upon  very  rare  occasions.  A  diplomat  caught  doing 
an  importing  business  through  secret  partnership  with 
some  unscruplous  merchant  is  promptly  recalled  by  his 
government  and  disgraced.  The  standard  of  common 
honesty  in  the  diplomatic  corps  does  not  countenance 
for  a  moment  such  rascality. 

Members  of  the  diplomatic  corps  conduct  themselves 
and  their  legations,  as  a  rule,  in  such  a  way  as  not  to 
infringe  upon  the  laws  of  the  country  which  surround 
them,  and  which  has  no  jurisdiction  over  them.  Even 
if  they  were  not  circumspect,  they  could  be  reached  only 
in  a  roundabout  method.  Xo  tradesman  of  Washington 
brings  suit  on  a  bill  against  a  diplomat.  No  policeman 
warns  the  chancellor  of  a  legation  to  clean  the  snow 
off  the  sidewalk  or  to  do  any  other  thing  that  the  city 
ordinances  prescribe.  A  minister  has  been  known  to 
visit  the  State  Department  to  protest  against  police 
interference  with  his  coachman.  A  few  years  ago  the 
agent  of  a  theatrical  company,  in  his  excess  of  zeal, 
issued  an  invitation  to  the  entertainment  in  the  form 
of  a  subpoena,  with  an  imitation  of  the  notarial  seal 
attached.  Taking  the  Congressional  Directory,  he  sent 
to  all  of  the  officials  found  therein  a  copy  of  the  for- 
midable looking  document.  Most  of  the  diplomats  had 
been  in  the  country  long  enough  to  be  not  surprised  at 

Position  26.     Map  4. 


130  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

any  eccentricity  of  the  American  advertiser,  but  one 
minister  from  a  far  off  power  responded  promptly  with 
a  call  on  the  Secretary  to  protest  against  the  supposed 
violation  of  his  international  prerogatives.  Something 
more  than  custom  preserves  these  foreigners  from  the 
direct  operation  of  the  local  statutes.  The  official  or 
citizen  who  infringes  on  the  peculiar  immunities  of  the 
diplomatic  corps  may  find  himself  arraigned  as  a  "  vio- 
lator of  the  laws  of  nations  and  a  disturber  of  the  public 
repose."  These  rights  are  matters  of  international 
agreement.  The  penalty  for  suing  or  prosecuting  a 
member  of  a  legation  is  severe.  It  includes  fine  and 
imprisonment. 

We  are  soon  to  visit  the  section  of  Washington  in 
which  the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps  have  their 
homes,  but  before  we  do  so  let  us  return  to  the  White 
House  and  witness  these  dwellers  in  Cosmopolis  assem- 
bled on  the  south  front  of  the  White  House  for  their 
New  Year's  call  on  the  President. 

Position  27*     Diplomats  and  Other  Distinguished 

Guests  at  a  Reception,  the  White  House, 

Washington,  U.S.A, 

It  is  a  brilliant  assemblage  upon  which  we  are  gaz- 
ing, and  it  is  easy  for  us  to  distinguish  some  o^its  most 
conspicuous  figures.  Herr  Von  Holleben,  long  German 
ambassador  and  dean  of  the  corps,  stands  in  the  center 
of  the  group.  Sir  Michael  Herbert,  the  late  English 
ambassador,  faces  us  on  the  extreme  left,  and  in  front 
of  him,  with  face  turned  from  us,  is  Baron  de  Fava, 
the  Italian  minister.  The  Austrian  minister,  Herr 
Hengelmuller  Von  Hengelvar,  stands  in  the  foreground 
on  our  left,  and  in  the  middle  foreground  are  the  Swiss 
and  Chilian  ministers,  the  one  with  his  back  turned  to- 
ward us,  and  the  other  facing  his  Italian  compatriot.    A 

Positions  26,  27.    Map  4. 


PERILS    OF    DIPLOMATIC    LIFE  131 

stranger  gazing  upon  such  a  scene  as  this  would  natu- 
rally infer  that  the  life  of  a  diplomat  was  all  sunshine 
and  roses.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  path  of 
the  foreign  envoy  is  literally  lined  with  pitfalls,  and  if 
he  is  able  to  escape  from  them  entirely  he  must  neces- 
sarily ascribe  it  more  to  good  fortune  than  to  skill  or 
discretion.  The  rules  and  regulations  that  govern  the 
conduct  of  the  private  citizen,  and  even  that  of  the 
ordinary  government  official,  are  altogether  inadequate 
in  his  case.  He  is  forced  to  keep  always  in  mind,  not 
only  in  his  official  intercourse,  but  also  in  his  private 
life,  the  very  important  fact  that  he  represents  his 
country  and  his  government,  and  that  every  word 
spoken  by  him,  his  every  action,  or  even  gesture,  are 
held  to  commit  the  power  by  which  he  is  accredited. 
Take  the  case  of  Viscount  Santo-Thyrso,  former  minis- 
ter of  Portugal  here  in  Washington.  When  President 
McKinley  was  shot  at  Buffalo,  Viscount  Santo-Thyrso 
made  daily  inquiries  at  the  White  House  as  to  the 
President's  condition.  Nine  days  before  Mr.  McKinley 
died,  the  Viscount  paid  his  usual  visit  to  the  White 
House  and  got  there  about  the  time  a  despatch  had  been 
received  which,  owing  to  misreading,  was  interpreted 
to  mean  that  the  President  was  dead.  The  minister 
was  informed  that  Mr.  McKinley  had  passed  away,  and 
he  hurried  to  a  telegraph  office  and  sent  the  news  to  the 
foreign  office  at  Lisbon.  Then  he  told  some  of  his 
friends  of  the  diplomatic  circle  of  what  he  had  heard 
at  the  White  House  in  order  that  they  might  also  send 
the  news  to  their  governments.  The  Portuguese  King 
and  his  government  were  prompt  to  respond  with  mes- 
sages of  sympathy  addressed  to  Mr.  Eoosevelt  and  Sec- 
retary Hay.  When  it  was  learned  in  Lisbon  that  Mr. 
McKinley  still  lived  there  was  great  indignation  ex- 
pressed toward   Santo-Thyrso,   who,   it  was   felt,   had 

t  Position  27.    Map  4, 


132 


WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 


placed  his  government  in  a  humiliating  position,  and, 
without  giving  him  a  chance  to  explain,  the  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs  recalled  him  by  telegraph. 

Soon  we  are  to  visit  the  fashionable  quarter  of  Wash- 
ington, but  at  present  let  us  return  to  the  State,  War 
and  Navy  Building,  ascend  to  the  roof,  and  look  south- 
west past  the  White  House  and  the  Treasury  Building, 
through  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  to  the  Capitol.  Turn 
to  Map  No.  4  and  locate  the  two  red  lines  having  the 
Fig.  28  at  the  end  of  each  which  radiate  from  the  State, 
War  and  Navy  Building.  These  lines  should  be  located 
also  on  the  General  Map  of  Washington.  Our  next 
position,  then,  is  to  be  on  the  top  of  the  State,  War  and 
Navy  Building,  and  we  shall  be  looking  slightly  south 
of  east. 

Position  28.     From  Nary  Department  Southeast 

past  the  White  House  and  Treasury  to  the 

Capitol,  Washington,  U.S.A. 

Now  we  are  standing  near  the  center  of  the  roof  of 
the  State,  War  and  Navy  Building.  The  President's 
Park  is  directly  below  us;  the  White  House  and  the 
Treasury  Building  are  on  our  left,  while  to  the  right 
is  Pennsylvania  Avenue  stretching  out  to  the  Capitol. 
Hidden  from  view  on  our  left  is  Lafayette  Square,  and 
on  our  right  the  Monument.  Behind  us  are  George- 
town and  the  Potomac.  Also  hidden  from  our  view  in 
the  rear  of  the  Treasury  Building  is  the  Department 
of  Justice,  where  the  law  officers  of  the  government 
have  their  headquarters. 

The  object  to  which  the  eye  most  often  returns  in 
the  scene  before  us  is  Pennsylvania  Avenue.  Let  us 
descend  from  our  present  point  of  vantage,  cross  the 

Position  28.    Maps  2,  4. 


REVIEW    OF    THE    GRAND    ARMY  133 

President's  Park,  and  from  the  south  front  of  the 
Treasury  Building  get  a  close  view  of  this  noble  thor- 
oughfare. The  two  red  lines  numbered  29  on  Map  No. 
4,  which  radiate  from  the  Treasury  Building,  and 
are  also  given  on  the  General  Map  of  Washington,  show 
what  is  to  be  our  next  position. 

Position   29.     Pennsylvania   Avenue  from   the 

Treasury,  southeast  to  the  Capitol, 

Washington f  U.S.A. 

We  are  standing  now  at  the  south  entrance  of  the 
Treasury  Building  and  looking  southeastward  through 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  at  the  Capitol,  which,  though  it 
appears  only  a  few  blocks  away,  is  really  more  than  a 
mile  distant  from  us.  The  White  House  is  now  in  our 
rear.  The  avenue  in  front  of  us,  with  its  varied  and 
animated  life,  is  one  of  the  historic  streets  of  the  world. 
Through  it  during  the  last  hundred  years  have  passed 
eighteen  Presidents-elect  on  their  way  to  the  Capitol 
to  assume  the  duties  of  the  most  exalted  office  within 
the  people's  gift;  and  it  has  furnished  the  setting  for 
many  another  memorable  incident.  Could  we  have 
stood  in  May,  1865,  where  we  are  standing  now  we 
should  have  witnessed  one  of  the  noblest  spectacles  of 
modern  times. 

The  last  of  the  Confederate  forces  had  laid  down 
their  arms ;  the  long  war  between  the  sections  was  at  an 
end;  and  the  million  Union  soldiers  in  the  field  were 
free  to  return  to  their  former  pursuits.  The  armies  of 
Meade  and  Sherman,  200,000  strong,  until  muster  and 
pay-rolls  had  been  made  out,  went  into  camp  around1 
Washington.  Then,  as  a  splendid  climax  to  all  that  had 
gone  before,  it  was  ordered  that  Meade's  army  on  May 
23d,  and  Sherman's  on  the  24th  should  pass  in  grand 
review  before  the  Administration.     For  six  hours  on 


Position  29.    Maps  2,  4, 


134  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

one  day  and  seven  on  the  other  a  great  throng  gathered 
from  all  parts  of  the  North,  and  watched  the  men  in 
the  ranks,  marshalled  by  generals  whose  names  had  be- 
come household  words,  pass  sixty  abreast  through  the 
wide  avenue  before  us.  All  the  States  of  the  North 
were  represented  among  the  bronzed,  weather-beaten 
soldiers,  whose  cadenced  advance  suggested  the  might 
and  power  of  an  ocean  tide.  Those  who  witnessed,  with 
mingled  pride  and  awe,  the  passage  of  the  stern-faced 
men  who  made  up  the  long  column  knew  now  what  Lin- 
coln meant  when  he  talked  to  them  of  "  veterans  " ;  and 
were  brought  also  to  a  sudden,  glad  realization  of  the 
truth  that  the  government  that  could  call  such  an  army 
into  being  would  "  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

We  have  had  the  Treasury  Building  in  our  rear  while 
looking  out  upon  Pennsylvania  Avenue.  Cross  with  me 
to  the  south  side  of  the  avenue,  and  from  the  upper 
story  of  a  building  get  a  fair  view  of  this  great  struc- 
ture. Turn  to  Map  No.  4  and  locate  the  two  red  lines 
which  branch  from  the  number  30  toward  the  Treasury 
Building.  It  is  evident  that  from  this  new  position  we 
shall  be  looking  toward  the  south  and  east  sides  of  the 
Treasury  Department. 

Position  30.       United   States    Treasury   Building 

(South  Front),  guarding  Millions  upon 

Millions  in  Coin  and  Notes, 

Washington,  U.S.A. 

Here  we  are  standing  on  the  south  side  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue  and  looking  northwest  at  the  Treasury 
Building.  The  low  structure  we  see  in  its  rear,  off  to 
our  right,  is  the  Department  of  Justice.  The  Mall  is 
behind  us.  and  hidden  from  view  on  our  left  is  the  White 
House.    The  sandstone  and  granite  pile  before  us  has  a 

Positions  29,  30.    Map  4. 


THE    TREASURY    DEPARTMENT  135 

total  length  of  450  and  a  width  of  250  feet,  and,  though 
handicapped  by  an  unfortunate  site,  you  will  readily  see 
that  it  is  one  of  the  noblest  buildings  in  Washington. 
You  will  also  note  that  it  has  about  it  an  air  of  solidity 
and  security  that  well  becomes  the  bank  of  the  nation, 
from  whence  issue  the  energizing  currents  without 
which  not  a  single  operation  of  the  government  could 
be  carried  on. 

A  varied  range  of  activities  are  carried  on  within  the 
structure  before  us,  but  it  is  as  a  financial  institution 
that  the  Treasury  has  most  interest  for  us.  Could  we 
enter  the  building  through  yonder  south  front,  with  its 
stately  Ionic  columns,  a  few  paces  would  carry  us  to  one 
of  the  costliest  apartments  in  the  world.  This  is  the 
Cash  Eoom,  where  are  cashed  the  warrants  drawn  upon 
and  presented  to  the  Treasury  for  payment.  The  daily 
transactions  run  into  millions — warrants  for  vast  sums 
being  cashed  without  a  moment's  delay — and  you  can 
have  a  part  in  them  by  presenting  at  one  of  the  steel- 
screened  windows  a  warrant  on  the  government  in  the 
shape  of  a  national  currency  bill,  and,  by  receiving  coin 
for  its  face  value,  thus  complete  the  circulation  of  that* 
particular  piece  of  paper  as  money.  It  went  out  from 
the  building  in  front  of  us  as  new  currency;  it  passed 
through  countless  hands  in  exchange  for  a  thousand  and 
one  different  things,  and  now,  old  and  worn,  finds  its 
way  back  again  to  be  redeemed  and  then  destroyed. 

Indeed,  what  one  sees  of  most  interest  in  the  building 
which  now  commands  our  attention  is  the  making  of 
new  money,  its  exchange  for  old,  and  the  destruction 
of  the  old.  The  government  bonds  and  the  national 
currency  are  printed  at  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and 
Printing  a  few  blocks  in  our  rear.  Thence  the  cur- 
rency is  brought  over  at  nine  o'clock  every  morning, 
a  million  dollars  a  day,  attended  by  a  force  of  guards, 

Position  30.    Map  4, 


136  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

to  the  Treasury,  where  it  is  delivered  to  the  Division 
of  Issue.  Here  it  is  again  counted,  and  then  sent  to 
the  Sealing  Room  to  receive  the  finishing  touch — the 
red  seal  which  is  the  government's  attestation  of  genu- 
ineness. This  distinguishing  mark  is  printed  on  by 
steam  presses,  under  the  eye  of  the  Register  of  the 
Treasury,  and  bears  the  legend,  "  Thesaur.  Amer.  Sep- 
tent.  Sigil." — Seal  of  the  Treasury  of  North  America. 

Next  a  cutting  machine  cuts  each  sheet  into  four 
component  parts,  and  in  packages  of  four  thousand  bills 
the  currency  now  passes  through  the  hands  of  five  suc- 
cessive counters,  after  which  it  goes  to  the  sealing  clerk, 
who  wraps  up  the  packages  in  plain  brown  paper,  and 
seals  each  one  with  the  Treasury  seal.  These  packages 
are  deposited  for  two  months  or  more  in  the  Treasury 
reserve  vault,  whence,  in  the  regular  course  they  pass  into 
circulation,  only  to  finally  find  their  way  back  to  the 
building  in  front  of  us  as  worn  and  mutilated  currency, 
to  be  redeemed  in  the  Redemption  Division.  The  old 
currency  received  by  this  division  to  be  exchanged  for 
new  comes  in  from  banks  throughout  the  country  and 
from  the  Sub-Treasuries.  An  average  of  a  million  dol- 
lars is  received  daily,  or  more  than  three  hundred  mil- 
lions a  year.  The  women  in  the  Redemption  Division 
count  the  bills  over  with  skilled  and  rapid  fingers,  after 
which  they  are  cut  in  halves  with  a  huge  knife. 

When  a  bundle  of  bills  is  thus  cut  in  twain  one  set 
of  halves  is  sent  to  the  Register  of  the  Treasury  and 
the  other  set  of  halves  to  the  division  of  Loan  and  Cur- 
rency. In  both  offices  they  are  counted,  and  the  sums 
must  agree  with  each  other  as  well  as  with  the  count 
in  the  Redemption  Division.  When  this  has  been  de- 
clared correct  the  Treasurer  of  the  United  States  is 
credited  with  the  amount.  Next  the  divided  halves  are 
packed  in  wooden  boxes  and  conveyed  in  a  big  covered 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


DESTROYING    REDEEMED    CURRENCY  137 

wagon  to  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing.  The 
progress  of  this  wagon  is  watched  by  five  men  in  a  one- 
horse  carriage,  who  follow  closely.  These  men  are  the 
committee  in  charge  of  destruction.  One  of  them  rep- 
resents the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  another  the 
Treasurer  of  the  United  States,  another  the  Eegister 
of  the  Treasury,  another  the  Commissioner  of  Internal 
Revenue,  and  another  the  people  of  the  United  States. 
The  first  and  last  of  these  five  are  appointed  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  each  of  the  others  is  given 
office  by  the  official  in  behalf  of  whom  he  acts.  All  the 
internal  revenue  stamps  are  destroyed,  like  the  notes 
and  certificates,  at  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Print- 
ing, where  they  are  made  originally. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  the  Bureau  the  halved  notes, 
certificates  and  internal  revenue  stamps  are  carried  by 
the  chestful  into  a  room  in  the  basement  at  the  rear, 
where  their  contents  are  poured  through  a  huge  iron 
funnel  into  an  iron  cylinder,  five  feet  in  diameter  and 
ten  feet  long  in  the  cellar  below.  The  cylinder  is  partly 
filled  with  water  and  heated  by  steam,  which  boils  the 
erstwhile  precious  contents  for  thirty-six  hours,  at  the 
end  of  which  the  money  and  stamps  are  reduced  to  a 
mud-like  pulp.  There  are  two  of  these  cylinders,  and 
while  one  is  stewing  away  the  other  is  ready  to  receive 
fresh  supplies.  The  masses  of  pulp  thus  prepared  are 
heaped  into  a  pit  below,  from  which  the  moist  material 
is  carried  upstairs  again,  passed  through  a  machine 
which  transforms  it  into  sheets  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick  and  dried  in  that  shape,  when  it  is  ready  to  be 
sent  to  the  paper  mills  as  stock. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  all  the  paper  money  to  be  de- 
stroyed, instead  of  being  macerated,  was  burned  in  an 
air-blast  fire  of  great  heat.  But  Congress,  perceiving 
that  the  stock  reduced  to  pulp  would  be  valuable  enough 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


138  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

at  least  to  pay  the  expense  of  destruction,  passed  a  law 
decreeing  that  the  process  at  present  followed  should  be 
adopted.  The  pulp,  as  now  prepared,  is  sold  to  the 
paper-making  trade  for  $20  a  hundredweight,  dry. 
Any  one  else  can  buy  the  pulp,  which  contains  eighty 
per  cent,  of  water,  for  one-fifth  that  price.  The  paper 
manufacturers  would  not  purchase  it  in  that  shape, 
because  the  freight  would  be  too  much  for  so  great  a 
weight.  Those  who  invest  in  the  pulp  for  the  purpose 
of  making  it  into  busts  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  repre- 
sentations of  the  Washington  Monument,  employ  their 
own  molds  and  make  their  own  estimates  of  the  value 
of  the  original  money  material  composing  their  wares. 
The  guess  on  the  replica  of  the  monument  is  usually 
$1,000,000,  but  the  only  certainty  it  is  based  upon  is 
the  verdancy  of  the  casual  visitor.  National  bank-notes 
are  not  destroyed  at  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and 
Printing.  For  them  a  special  macerator  of  a  different 
pattern  is  employed  by  the  Controller  of  Currency, 
under  whose  special  superintendence  they  are  counted 
separately  for  redemption.  Beneath  his  office  is  a  sort 
of  tub  with  revolving  knives,  into  which  all  of  this  sort 
of  paper  money  is  cast  when  worn  out.  The  keen  blades 
chew  it  up  into  fragments,  under  the  eye  of  persons  ap- 
pointed by  the  national  banks  to  superintend  the  opera- 
tion, so  that  it  is  of  no  use  any  more  for  any  purpose 
whatsoever  save  for  paper  stock.  For  this  purpose 
Uncle  Sam's  disused  cash  serves  admirably,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  mostly  linen  fiber. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  branches  of  the  work  of 
'the  Redemption  Division  is  the  handling  of  the  burned 
and  mutilated  currency.  The  government  is  always 
willing  and  even  anxious  to  replace  spoiled  money  if  it 
can  possibly  be  identified.  The  skill  of  the  women  em- 
ployed in  this  work  is  little  short  of  marvelous.     One 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


IDENTIFYING    MUTILATED    MONEY  139 

lady,  Mrs.  Brown,  attends  to  all  the  burned  notes. 
Patiently  she  picks  out  scrap  after  scrap  from  a  mass  of 
charred  fragments  such  as  any  ordinary  person  would 
regard  as  hopeless.  One  by  one  she  pastes  them  on 
paper,  assembling  the  pieces  of  each  note  on  a  paper 
by  itself,  and  trying  to  "restore"  the  greenback  as  a 
naturalist  would  build  up  an  extinct  animal  from  a 
few  fossil  remains.  Even  a  portion  that  is  hardly  more 
than  an  ash  may  still  show  the  engraved  design.  When 
she  is  done,  it  remains  to  be  determined  how  many  of 
the  bills  shall  be  considered  as  properly  identified.  In 
the  case  of  a  bank-note  the  name  of  the  bank  must  be 
ascertained. 

In  this  kind  of  labor  powerful  magnifying  glasses  are 
often  called  into  requisition.  A  note  that  has  been 
chewed  up  by  a  baby  is  apt  to  be  difficult  of  treatment. 
Babies  destroy  a  good  deal  of  money  in  this  way  in  the 
course  of  every  year,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  puppy 
dogs.  They  have  an  equal  disregard  of  value  repre- 
sented by  currency.  Goats  eat  money  now  and  then, 
and  so  do  cows.  Mice  are  particularly  destructive. 
They  like  to  make  nests  out  of  paper  cash,  and  this 
practice  is  encouraged  by  people  who  hide  their  savings 
in  walls  and  under  floors.  Birds  would  seem  to  have 
a  similar  inclination,  judging  from  a  rather  odd  hap- 
pening of  a  few  years  ago.  An  employee  of  the  Sub- 
treasury  in  Cincinnati,  named  Turpin,  was  shaving 
himself  one  sunny  afternoon,  when  a  robin  flew  in  at 
the  window.  It  flew  out  a  moment  later,  and  it  did  nof 
occur  to  Turpin  to  suspect  the  bird  when  he  discovered 
that  a  ten-dollar  bill,  which  he  had  taken  from  his  waist- 
coat pocket  and  placed  on  the  centre  table  was  gone.  A 
few  days  later,  however,  a  storm  blew  a  robin's  nest  out 
of  a  tree  near  the  front  porch.  It  was  picked  up,  and 
the  missing  bill  was  found  incorporated  in  its  material. 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


140  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Though  a  good  deal  damaged,  it  was  subsequently  re- 
demed. 

One  day  several  summers  ago  lightning  entered  the 
house  of  a  farmer  in  Maryland.  In  a  frolicsome  mood 
it  flashed  through  a  cupboard  and  burned  a  slice  out  of 
a  $2  certificate.  The  strip  burned  was  nearly  two 
inches  wide,  lengthwise  through  the  middle  of  the  bill. 
The  latter  was  redeemed  afterward,  the  number  and 
seal  being  entirely  legible.  To  bury  paper  money  is  a 
mistake,  because  under  such  conditions  it  rots.  Now 
and  then  a  person  is  burned  to  death,  and  cash  removed 
from  the  clothing  of  the  corpse  is  sent  in  for  redemp- 
tion. The  contents  of  a  wallet  dug  up  with  the  body  of 
a  murdered  man  afforded  a  rather  disagreeable  subject 
for  investigation  not  long  ago.  A  few  years  ago  an  old 
woman  died  of  a  contagious  disease  at  Eockford,  111., 
and  her  clothes  were  burned.  Subsequently  it  occurred 
to  the  heirs  to  search  the  ashes,  and  remains  of  money 
were  found.  Twenty-five  dollars  of  the  amount  repre- 
sented was  identified  and  redeemed.  During  the  last 
year  or  two  several  consignments  of  money  in  minute 
bits  have  reached  the  Redemption  Division,  being  sent' 
in  by  banks  whose  safes  had  been  treated  with  dynamite 
by  burglars.  An  overdose  of  dynamite  applied  to  a  safe 
is  apt  to  have  such  an  effect — which  ought  to  be  a  lesson 
to  robbers. 

Thus  far  we  have  followed  the  making  and  destruc- 
tion of  paper  money.  Each  piece  of  it,  however,  is  only 
a  promise  to  pay  gold  or  silver  in  the  specific  sum 
named  on  its  face;  and  in  the  vaults  of  the  Treasury 
Building  in  front  of  us,  and  in  the  Sub-treasuries  are 
stored  the  gold  and  silver  bonds  (representing  gold) 
with  which  to  make  good  the  currency  promises  to  pay. 
The  great  silver  storage  vault  extends  under  the  ter- 
race which  we  see  in  front  of  the  Treasury  Building, 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


THE    STRONG    BOX    OF    THE    NATION  141 

and  contains  a  mighty  box  of  steel  latticework,  80  feet 
long,  51  feet  wide,  and  12  feet  high,  filled  chock  full  of 
silver  dollars.  Visitors  are  permitted  to  walk  around 
the  mass  of  treasure,  following  a  narrow  passage  which 
runs  between  the  sides  of  the  box  and  the  steel  walls 
of  the  vault.  This  latticework  receptacle  holds  $101,- 
000,000  in  silver,  which  is  packed  in  wooden  boxes,  two 
bags  of  standard  dollars  to  a  box,  and  each  box  weigh- 
ing 120  pounds.  Formerly  the  coin  was  simply  stacked 
up  in  bags,  but  notwithstanding  the  walls  of  steel, 
dampness  rotted  the  bags  and  the  money  ran  out  of 
them.  This  made  extra  trouble,  requiring  fresh  counts, 
and  it  is  no  small  job  to  reckon  over  such  a  gigantic 
sum  in  metal.  Hence  it  was  decided  to  pack  the  stuff 
in  boxes.  Each  sack  contains  $1,000,  and  so  long  as  the 
Treasurer's  seal  on  it  is  intact  its  contents  do  not  have 
to  be  verified  on  occasions  when  recounts  are  made. 

There  are  three  other  great  vaults  in  the  basement 
whose  windows  blink  at  us  across  yonder  terrace.  One 
of  these  is  devoted  to  silver  dollars,  fractional  silver  coin 
and  gold  coin.  Another  contains  the  United  States 
bonds  deposited  by  the  national  banks  as  security  for 
their  own  notes  in  circulation.  A  third  holds  the  golcf 
and  silver  and  millions  of  paper  money  used  by  the 
Division  of  Issue.  There  was  quite  a  scare  some  years 
ago  because  this  vault  refused  to  open.  It  is  always  set 
for  8.30  a.al  with  a  time-lock,  but  on  this  occasion 
something  seemed  to  be  wrong  with  the  mechanism, 
and  the  steel  doors  remained  obstinately  closed.  Nine 
o'clock  arrived,  and  still  the  money  was  locked  up.  For 
once  Uncle  Sam's  bank  was  obliged  to  suspend  pay- 
ments. Experts  came  with  their  tools  to  break  open  the 
vault,  but  before  they  got  there  the  big  safe  had  opened 
of  its  own  accord.  It  turned  out  that  the  time-lock  had 
been  set  by  an  accident  for  9.30. 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


14:2  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

In  this  vault  not  only  gold  and  silver,  but,  as  I  told 
you  a  moment  ago,  many  millions  in  paper  money  are 
always  kept.  If  thieves  could  obtain  access  to  it  they 
might  easily  walk  away  with  an  enormous  sum,  the 
notes  and  certificates  being  done  up  in  packages  and 
neatly  labelled  with  the  sums  they  contain  in  large  red 
figures.  Each  parcel  holds  4,000  notes,  and  is  in  size 
just  about  a  foot  cube.  If  the  denomination  is  $500,  a 
single  such  package  represents  $2,000,000.  However, 
if  anybody  did  succeed  in  getting  away  with  cash  in  this 
shape  he  could  hardly  fail  to  be  caught,  inasmuch  as 
the  numbers  of  the  bills  would  be  advertised  imme- 
diately, and  every  bank  in  the  country  would  be  on  the 
lookout  for  them. 

Burglars  may  be  practically  excluded,  but  the  Treas- 
ury does  not  claim  to  be  theft-proof.  On  an  unlucky 
day  in  1870  a  visitor  came  into  the  Treasurer's  room 
with  a  large  Panama  hat  in  his  hand.  The  Treasurer's 
attention  was  distracted  by  some  other  people  who  were 
trying  to  talk  to  him,  and  the  man  dropped  his  hat  care- 
lessly over  a  package  which  contained  2,000  ten-dollar 
notes,  lying  on  the  desk.  It  was  one  of  several  such 
packages,  and  the  loss  of  it  was  not  noticed  until  some 
hours  later.  The  notes  were  advertised,  and  some  time 
afterward  a  part  of  them  were  deposited  in  a  New  York 
bank.  The  depositor  was  arrested,  but  nobody  was  pun- 
ished for  the  crime. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  Treasury  vaults 
compare  poorly  with  the  impregnable  steel-clad  struc- 
tures now  used  by  great  private  concerns  that  have  valu- 
ables to  protect,  the  government  feels  fairly  secure  as 
to  the  safety  of  its  stored  wealth.  The  best  safeguard 
for  coin  is  its  weight.  The  $152,000,000  in  silver  now 
held  in  the  strong  rooms  of  the  Treasury  weighs  nearly 
5,000  tons.    A  million  dollars  in  gold  coin  weighs  about 

Position  30.    Map  4. 


ACTIVITIES    OF    THE    TREASURY    DEPARTMENT  143 

two  tons,  and  it  would  take  a  very  strong  man  to  carry 
off  $50,000  worth  of  the  yellow  stuff.  Though  a  gold 
brick  the  shape  and  size  of  an  ordinary  building  brick 
represents  $8,000,  its  "  heft "  is  something  astonishing. 
Suggestions  have  been  made  that  it  might  be  practicable 
to  burrow  beneath  the  Treasury  by  tunnel,  and  thus 
pillage  Uncle  Sam's  coffers  by  a  sort  of  rat-hole  method, 
but  even  if  this  were  accomplished,  it  is  difficult  to  im- 
agine how  it  would  be  practicable  to  remove  much  of  the 
coin. 

Before  we  take  our  leave  of  the  great  structure  we 
have  been  studying  let  us  glance  at  other  of  the  varied 
activities  carried  on  within  its  walls.  Here  are  the 
headquarters  of  the  customs,  internal  revenue  and 
revenue  cutter  services;  of  the  lighthouse  and  life-sav- 
ing services;  of  the  steamboat  inspection  and  marine 
hospital  services;  of  the  bureau  of  navigation,  and  of 
the  supervising  architect  of  government  buildings 
throughout  the  United  States.  Almost  4,500  people 
are  employed  in  the  building  across  the  way,  and  there 
are  approximately  in  the  employ  of  the  Treasury  De- 
partment 25,000  persons,  an  army  of  men  and  women 
equal  to  our  regular  army  as  it  existed  previous  to  the 
Spanish  War. 

The  building  before  us  is  a  vital  and  pervading  fac- 
tor in  our  national  life.  Let  us  now  pay  a  visit  to  an 
institution  which  has  to  do  in  a  distinctive  and  pictur- 
esque way  with  life  in  Washington.  Turn  to  the  Gen- 
eral Map  of  Washington,  and  locate  the  two  red  lines 
which  radiate  westward  from  the  number  31  at  Seventh 
and  B  streets.  Their  apex  will  be  our  next  point  of 
vision. 


Position  30.    Map  4. 


144  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Position  31,    Fruits  of  the  Sunny  South  and  their 

Buyers  in  Famous  Old  Centre  Market, 

Washington,   U.S. A, 

Now  we  are  standing  near  the  southeastern  corner  of 
the  Centre  Market.  On  our  left  we  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  north  side  of  the  Mall.  The  Capitol  is  behind  us, 
and  the  Monument  in  front  and  to  the  right.  The 
number  of  black  faces  which  have  a  place  in  the  busy 
and  animated  scene  before  us  remind  us  that  Washing- 
ton, when  its  permanent  population  is  considered,  is 
essentially  a  Southern  city.  Indeed,  wherever  you  go 
in  Washington  you  will  meet  the  joyous,  laughing 
darky,  who  lives  upon  the  ruling  class,  and  refuses  to 
take  thought  for  a  rainy  to-morrow.  And  the  Wash- 
ington negro,  whether  forehanded  or  out-at-elbows,  has 
good  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  his  lot,  for  nowhere 
else  does  he  command  and  enjoy  the  same  favoring 
conditions,  the  same  standing  and  treatment.  Four 
thousand  of  the  odd  90,000  negroes  in  Washington  are 
in  government  employ.  They  have  their  editors,  teachers, 
doctors,  dentists,  dancing  masters;  their  clubs,  saloons, 
newspapers,  schools  and  halls;  and  they  have  a  genteel 
society  of  their  own  modelled  closely  upon  the  lines  of 
white  society,  and  living  in  amity  with  that  body. 

Negroes  own  more  than  $8,000,000  worth  of  real 
estate  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  wealth  of  many 
families  of  colored  persons  in  Washington  sprang  from 
the  development  of  the  West  End,  which  was  mainly 
occupied  in  other  years  by  the  tumble-down  shanties  of 
negro  squatters.  For  the  making  of  its  beauty  and  ele- 
gance the  property-holders  were  assessed.  Many  negroes 
surrendered  their  lots,  but  many  others  paid  the  assess- 
ments, held  on,  and  were  made  wealthy  when  fashion 
led  the  rich  to  buy  up  the  land  and  build  upon  it.    Thus 

Position  31.    Map  2. 


A    HAUNT    OF    GREAT    MEN  145 

the  provident  colored  people  who  had  worked  and  saved 
were  able  to  become  capitalists.  Some  other  fortunes 
were  made  in  trade,  and  by  cooks,  restauranteurs,  and 
men  who  practice  the  professions  among  the  people  of 
their  own  race.  One  popular  professional  man  is  said 
to  be  the  son  of  a  man  who  mixed  cocktails  for  forty 
years  in  a  saloon  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue — but  why 
should  our  white  brothers  in  high  fashionable  circles 
look  down  on  the  man  for  that  ? 

The  market  whose  life  we  can  study  here  is  almost  as 
old  as  the  capital  city  itself,  and  has  long  been  counted 
among  the  Washington  haunts  of  great  men.  Chief 
Justice  John  Marshall,  Daniel  Webster  and  President 
William  Henry  Harrison  were  accustomed  to  do  their 
marketing  here  in  person;  and  the  first  named  once 
figured  in  an  amusing  incident  on  this  spot.  The  great 
Chief  Justice,  a  plain  man  of  the  people,  was  an  early 
riser,  and  was  often  seen  in  this  market  at  sunrise  with 
poultry  in  one  hand  and  a  basket  of  vegetables  in  the 
other.  On  one  occasion  a  young  man,  who  had  recently 
removed  to  Washington,  was  fretting  and  swearing 
violently  because  he  could  find  no  one  to  take  home  his 
turkey.  Marshall  stepped  up  and  offered  to  take  it 
home  for  him.  Arriving  at  the  house,  the  young  man 
inquired,  "  What  shall  I  pay  you  ?  "  "  Oh,  nothing," 
was  the  reply;  "it  was  on  my  way,  and  no  trouble." 
As  Marshall  walked  away,  the  young  man  inquired  of 
a  bystander,  "  Who  is  that  polite  old  man  that  brought 
home  my  turkey  for  me  ?  "  "  That,"  was  the  reply,  "  is 
John  Marshall,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States." 

There  is  one  great  branch  of  the  Government  that  has 
not  yet  claimed  our  attention.  Walk  with  me  now  four 
blocks  to  the  northward,  and  from  the  southwest  corner 
of    Ninth    and    F    Streets    view    the    building    which 

Position  31.    Map  2, 


14:6  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

houses  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  Find  on  the 
General  Map  of  Washington  the  two  red  lines  branching 
northeast  from  the  number  32.  From  our  position 
we  shall  look  down  upon  the  south  side  of  the  Patent 
Office. 

Position  32.      United  States  Patent   Office  where 

Fortunes  have  been  Secured  to  Inventors, 

Washington,  U.S. A, 

The  mighty  freestone,  granite  and  marble  structure 
before  us,  furnishes  quarters  for  the  officials  of  the  sev- 
eral fields  into  which  the  work  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  is  divided.  The  one  relating  to  patents  is  most 
widely  known,  and  the  great  building  is,  therefore,  gen- 
erally called  the  Patent  Office.  Could  we  visit  its 
interior  we  should  find  the  Museum  of  Models  filling 
the  four  halls  of  the  second  story,  and  containing  an 
immense  array  of  models.  The  oldest  of  these  is  a 
model  of  a  cloth-shearing  machine,  on  which  a  patent 
was  granted  to  S.  G.  Dorr  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  October 
20,  1792.  It  is  in  good  condition  and  repair,  because 
it  was  renovated  after  the  fire  which  in  1877  destroyed  so 
many  models  of  historic  interest  and  of  inestimable 
value.  There  have  been  two  fires  in  the  Patent  Office. 
The  first  of  these  took  place  in  1836,  on  Christmas 
Day,  and  destroyed  about  7,000  models.  The  second 
fire  was  far  more  disastrous.  It  occurred  on  September 
24,  1877,  destroying  87,000  models  of  patented  devices 
and  27,000  models  of  devices  for  which  applications  for 
patents  were  pending.  Among  the  models  which  suf- 
fered in  the  second  fire  was  that  of  the  cotton  gin  in- 
vented by  Eli  Whitney  in  1794.  A  duplicate  of  this 
model  was  built,  and  it  stands  in  the  Patent  Office  to- 
day. Among  the  other  original  models  in  the  Patent 
Office  are  Colt's  first  revolver,  patented  in  1837;  R.  A. 

Position  32.    Map  2. 


THE    AMERICAN    PATENT    SYSTEM  14? 

Hoe's  double-cylinder  printing  press,  patented  in  1842 ; 
Howe's  first  sewing  machine  (a  queer  contrivance  run 
by  hand  by  an  oscillating  crank) ;  Morse's  electric  tele- 
graph, the  first  engine  run  over  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
road  (patented  by  Ross  Winans  in  1833) ;  the  Gatling 
gun,  and  the  Hotchkiss  gun.  There  are  186  classes  of 
inventions  altogether  and  these  are  divided  into  more 
than  3,000  subjects. 

The  American  patent  system  is  unique.  There  is 
none  other  like  it,  except  the  German  system,  and  that 
has  been  modelled  on  the  American  plan.  The  main 
distinctive  feature  is  the  American  system  of  examina- 
tions both  as  to  the  novelty  of  the  inventions  and  the 
form  of  the  application.  The  European  offices  are 
merely  places  for  the  registration  of  inventions.  The 
inventor  writes  out  a  description  of  his  invention, 
with  drawings  if  necessary,  deposits  it  in  the  European 
office  and  is  given  a  patent,  but  at  his  own  risk.  He 
pays  the  government  a  fee  when  he  files  his  papers,  and 
an  annual  tax  thereafter,  but  the  government  does  not 
give  him  even  a  prima  facie  guarantee  of  the  validity 
of  the  patent.  It  has  made  no  examination  to  deter- 
mine that  question.  The  invention  may  be  as  old  as 
the  steam  engine.  Hence  it  frequently  happens  that 
a  number  of  patents  are  successively  granted  by  the  same 
government  for  the  same  thing. 

The  American  patent  system  differs  radically  from 
this  theory.  The  United  States  Patent  Office  is  sup- 
posed to  make  a  thorough  examination  of  each  applica- 
tion. This  examination  is  to  determine,  first,  whether 
the  specification  is  drawn  in  the  form  required  by  the 
law  as  interpreted  in  prior  decisions  of  the  courts,  and 
second,  how  much  of  the  alleged  invention  is  new.  The 
inventor's  claims  are  then  restricted  to  that  portion 
which  is  found  to  be  new.     Hence,  a  United  States 

Position  32.    Map  2. 


148  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

patent  is  prima  facie  valid.  But  the  seal  of  the  Com- 
missioner gives  only  a  presumptive  validity  to  an 
American  patent,  and  that  presumption  is  stronger  as 
the  work  of  his  subordinates  has  been  more  thorough. 

To  accomplish  this  work,  the  vast  machinery  housed 
in  the  building  before  us  has  been  built  up.  It  grinds 
out  now  about  30,000  patents  a  year.  The  number  of 
applications  filed  is  about  50,000,  so  that  only  about 
sixty  per  cent,  of  the  applications  mature  into  patents. 
In  place  of  the  four  assistants  who  helped  the  Commis- 
sioner to  get  out  436  patents  in  the  first  year  of  the 
Patent  Office  history,  there  are  now  more  than  five  hun- 
dred. The  examining  force  alone  is  cut  up  into  more 
than  thirty  divisions.  Each  division  deals  with  a 
particular  class  of  inventions.  At  its  head  is  a  principal 
examiner,  with  from  three  to  six  assistants  and  from  one 
to  three  clerks.  The  assignment  division  has  scores  of 
clerks  recording  assignments  of  patents  and  trademarks. 
Another  large  division  has  proof-readers  and  clerks 
busy  in  preparing  the  specifications  for  printing  after 
they  have  been  passed  by  the  examiners,  and  in  the  pub- 
lication of  the  weekly  official  Gazette  with  its  list  of 
patents  and  patentees.  The  chief  draughtsman  has  all 
the  drawings  and  photo-lithographs  of  drawings  under 
his  charge,  and  his  forces  occupy  half  a  dozen  large 
rooms.  The  great  library,  the  vast  model  hall  with  its 
154,000  imitation  inventions,  the  rooms  of  the  financial 
clerk,  who  handles  $1,250,000  a  year,  and  the  inter- 
ference division  with  its  little  court  before  which  con- 
testing applicants  for  patents  on  the  same  invention 
come,  "  all  are  but  parts  of  one  stupendous  whole  "  de- 
voted to  American  inventive  genius. 

The  application  for  a  patent  passes  through  many 
hands.  Suppose  that  John  Jones  has  made  an  inven- 
tion  in  telephones.     The  papers  go  to  the  application 

Position  32.    Map  2. 


HOW    A    PATENT    IS    ISSUED  149 

division  and  are  referred  to  the  examiner  of  "  Elec- 
tricity, Division  A."  The  drawing  is  passed  upon  by 
the  draughtsman's  division  to  see  that  it  complies  with 
the  requirements  of  the  office  as  to  artistic  execution. 
When  the  case  has  reached  the  room  of  the  examiner 
it  is  placed  on  the  desk  of  the  assistant  examiner,  who 
makes  a  specialty  of  telephones.  He  takes  the  case  up 
and  reads  it  carefully.  He  notes  any  errors  of  language, 
omissions,  misstatements  of  scientific  principles,  viola- 
tions of  legal  rules,  etc.,  and  will  call  the  applicant's 
attention  to  them  in  a  letter.  Then  the  question 
whether  the  invention  will  work  as  the  inventor  thinks 
it  will  comes  up,  and  after  that  the  examination  of  the 
claims  made  by  the  inventor.  He  claims  the  combina- 
tion of  certain  elements  as  his  invention.  The  assist- 
ant may  know  just  where  to  put  his  hand  on  a  prior 
patent,  a  book  or  a  paper  describing  that  identical  com- 
bination of  elements  which  this  misguided  electrician 
supposed  to  be  original  with  him,  and  the  matter  is 
soon  disposed  of.  The  assistant  reports  the  case  to  the 
principal  examiner  in  charge  of  the  division,  a  letter  is 
written  to  the  applicant  stating  that  his  claim  is  rejected 
on  reference  to  such  and  such  prior  publications,  and  he 
is  left  to  adjust  himself  to  the  new  aspect  of  affairs  as 
best  he  may. 

If  the  assistant  does  not  remember  anything  like  the 
claim,  a  search  is  begun  which,  to  be  exhaustive,  may 
last  for  weeks.  If  the  search  is  fruitless  he  plunges 
into  the  scientific  and  technical  literature  of  half  a 
dozen  different  languages.  If  nothing  of  the  kind  can 
be  found  the  patent  issues  with  the  great  seal  of  the 
United  States  government.  This  is  the  ideally  perfect 
examination — the  thing  for  which  the  inventor  pays 
$35  into  the  Treasury.  What  he  gets  is  frequently  a 
very  different  thing.     When  cases  are  accumulating  on 

Position  32.    Map  2. 


150  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

the  assistant's  desk  at  the  rate  of  four  or  five  a  day  he 
cannot  give  two  or  three  weeks  to  the  examination  of 
one  of  them,  no  matter  how  important.  He  makes  a 
hurried  search  through  the  American  patents  and  those 
of  the  English,  French  and  German  which  he  has  at 
hand,  asks  his  fellow  examiners  if  they  ever  saw  any- 
thing of  the  kind  for  which  he  is  looking,  and  if  he 
fails  everywhere,  writes  the  applicant  a  species  of  bluff- 
ing letter  saying  that  the  claim  is  not  allowable  on  gen- 
eral principles.  The  applicant's  attorney  replies  calmly 
asking  for  proofs  in  the  shape  of  a  reference  to  some 
prior  publication,  or  instance  of  prior  use.  Thereupon 
the  examiner  has  to  back  down  and  the  patent  is  issued. 
The  patent  perhaps  is  sold  for  a  round  sum  and  still 
more  money  is  spent  in  pushing  the  invention.  Some- 
body infringes  and  is  sued.  The  person  thus  threatened 
puts  expert  searchers  into  the  great  libraries  and  pretty 
soon  one  of  them  turns  up  a  musty  volume  in  which  is 
printed  a  paper  read  by  Professor  Volt  before  the  Chain 
Lightning  Society  of  somewhere  describing  the  identical 
invention  ten  years  before  poor  Jones  claimed  it.  The 
patent  is  thereby  rendered  worthless  and  hard  things 
are  said  about  the  Patent  Office. 

And  now  let  us  turn  our  backs  on  official  Washington, 
and  strolling  north  five  blocks  make  our  way  westward 
through  Massachusetts  Avenue  to  Thomas  Circle. 
Turn  to  the  General  Map  of  Washington  and  locate  the 
two  red  lines  radiating  northwestward  from  the  num- 
ber 33  at  Thomas  Circle  and  having  the  figure  33  at 
the  end  of  each.  We  are  to  stand  next  at  the  apex  of 
these  lines  and  look  northwest. 


Position  32.    Map  2. 


A    CENTER    OF    FASHIONABLE    SOCIETY 


151 


Position  33.     Massachusetts  Avenue  (west  from 
Thomas  Circle),  a  Favorite  Center  of 
Fashionable  Society,  Wash- 
ington, U.S.A. 

Now  we  are  looking  from  Thomas  Circle  up  Massa- 
chusetts Avenue  to  Sixteenth  Street — the  ultra-fash- 
ionable section  of  Washington.  The  White  House  is  on 
our  left  and  Iowa  Circle  on  our  right,  while  Scott 
Circle  is  in  front  of  us,  and  the  Carnegie  Library  in 
our  rear.  These  we  cannot  see,  but  in  full  view  at  our 
feet  is  Ward's  noble  statue  of  General  Thomas.  Be- 
yond that  is  Highland  Terrace  lined  with  some  of  the 
lordliest  homes  of  Washington.  The  house  nearest  us 
on  the  right  is  the  residence  of  Bishop  Satterlee.  Ad- 
joining is  the  home  of  Senator  Cullom,  of  Illinois,  now 
one  of  the  veterans  of  the  Senate.  Beyond  that,  half 
hidden  by  trees,  is  the  home  of  Senator  Dolliver,  of 
Iowa,  flanked  on  the  west  by  the  German  Legation,  the 
great  house  with  the  portico  and  tower.  The  spire  which 
rises  in  the  rear  of  the  German  Legation  is  that  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  at  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  and  0 
Streets,  and  the  lofty  building  away  to  the  right  is  the 
Cairo  Apartment,  while  the  white  structure  that  nestles 
among  the  trees  on  our  farthest  left  is  the  Naval  Ob- 
servatory, holding  a  site  of  great  historic  interest. 
Washington,  when  a  young  man,  camped  with  Braddock 
on  the  very  ground  where  now  stands  the  Naval  Ob- 
servatory, and  even  then  had  thought  of  a  great  com- 
mercial city  here,  with  the  navigable  Potomac  reaching 
to  the  sea,  to  help  it  in  the  race  for  supremacy. 

Could  we  stroll  westward  a  block  and  a  half  from 
where  we  are  standing  we  should  find  on  the  lower  side 
of  Massachusetts  Avenue  one  of  the  most  helpful  of 
Washington  institutions — the  Louise  Home  for  Women, 

Position  33.    Map  2, 


152  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

founded  by  William  W.  Corcoran,  and  named  in  memory 
of  his  wife  and  daughter.  Among  the  present  guests 
at  the  Louise  Home  is  Mrs.  Letitia  Tyler  Semple, 
daughter  of  President  John  Tyler  by  his  first  wife,  and 
mistress  of  the  White  House  after  her  mother's  death. 
This  lady,  who  has  gone  upon  the  record  as  among  the 
charming  young  mistresses  of  the  White  House,  is  a 
representative  of  another  time  and  generation.  She  is 
a  faithful  adherent  of  the  old  regime,  and  as  one 
born  and  reared  in  the  traditions  and  creeds  of  the 
Virginian  ante-bellum  glory,  regards  with  disgust  and 
disfavor  the  so-called  progress  of  these  uneasy  latter 
times.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  and  her  en- 
trance to  the  Louise  Home  some  years  ago,  Mrs.  Semple 
has  been  quite  lost  to  the  gay  world  in  which  she  once 
reigned,  the  gay  official  world  which  she  now  placidly 
contemplates  from  the  window  of  a  cosy  apartment 
overlooking  Massachusetts  Avenue.  Here,  however,  in 
the  warmth  and  comfort  of  her  cheery  retreat,  she  re- 
ceives the  very  small  circle  of  old-time  friends  and  the 
younger  ones  who  delight  in  the  reminiscent  pictures 
of  her  girlhood  days  and  its  environment  of  great  per- 
sons and  events.  To  hear  her  chat  familiarly  of  Daniel 
Webster,  of  Dolly  Madison,  and  of  Clay  and  Calhoun, 
clothes  these  intellectual  factors  of  history  with  flesh 
and  blood  personality  and  enables  one  as  it  wore  to  shake 
hands  with  his  forefathers  and  to  realize  his  relation- 
ship to  history.  Her  recollections  of  an  era  when  society 
was  "  dignified,"  when  slang  was  unknown  as  a  drawing- 
room  accomplishment,  and  when  "  principle  and  honor 
were  the  first  tenets  of  a  gentleman's  creed  "  are  most 
interesting,  and  her  comparisons  between  then  and  now 
are  never  in  favor  of  the  present  age. 

Now  we  are  to  leave  our  present  point  of  vantage. 


Position  33.    Map  2. 


THE  HOMES  OF  FAMOUS  MEN  153 

and  strolling  westward  past  the  Louise  Home  view 
Massachusetts  Avenue  from  Scott  Circle.  Turn  to  the 
General  Map  of  Washington  and  note  the  two  red  lines 
which  radiate  westward  from  the  number  34  near 
Scott  Circle.  That  will  be  our  next  position  in  the 
fashionable  section  of  Washington. 

Position  34.     Homes  of  Some  of  the  Most  Distin- 
guished Residents, — Massachusetts  Avenue 
(west  from  Scott  Circle),  Wash- 
ington,   U.S.A. 

Now  from  the  east  we  are  looking  down  upon  Scott 
Circle — the  intersection  of  Massachusetts  and  Ehode 
Island  Avenues,  and  of  Sixteenth  and  X  Streets,  which 
here  radiate  from  one  another  like  the  spokes  of  a 
mighty  wheel.  The  marble  crescent  below  us  sets  off 
the  statue  which  the  American  disciples  of  Hahnemann, 
the  founder  of  homeopathy,  have  erected  in  his  honor; 
in  front  of  us  is  Brown's  equestrian  statue  of  General 
Scott,  and  yonder  at  the  westward  entrance  to  X  Street, 
is  the  counterfeit  presentment  in  bronze  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster. The  house  half  hidden  by  trees  on  our  nearest 
right,  is  the  home  of  Senator  Lodge,  of  Massachusetts, 
and  in  the  rear  and  to  the  left  of  it  are  the  residences 
of  Senator  Taliaferro  of  Florida,  and  Senator  Fair- 
banks of  Indiana. 

The  spire  on  our  left  is  that  of  the  Church  of  the 
Covenant,  where  President  Harrison  worshipped  in 
other  years,  and  across  the  way  from  it  is  the  British 
Legation.  The  house  of  Commander  Cowles,  brother- 
in-law  of  President  Eoosevelt,  is  nearer  to  us  on  the 
same  side  of  the  way.  Between  the  trees  on  our 
left  and  the  Church  of  the  Covenant  are  the  residences 
of  General  Nelson  A.  Miles  and  Senator  Hawley  of 
Connecticut,   while   less   than   two   blocks   from   us   on 

Position  34.    Map  2. 


154  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

our  left,  though  we  cannot  see  it,  is  the  brick  and 
brownstone  house,  at  1747  Ehode  Island  Avenue,  which 
a  grateful  people,  in  1899,  presented  to  Admiral  Dewey. 
The  home  of  General  Miles,  which  we  see  through  the 
trees,  also  came  to  him  as  a  gift.  When,  in  1895,  he 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  army,  friends  of  his  in 
Boston,  New  York,  Brooklyn,  San  Francisco  and  other 
cities,  East  and  West,  quietly  gathered  together  some 
$40,000  and  bought  and  presented  to  him  this  house 
in  N  Street. 

We  are  standing  now,  as  I  told  you  a  little  while  ago, 
in  the  finest  residence  section  of  Washington.  And  yet 
thirty  years  ago  this  section,  where  building  sites  now 
command  princely  sums,  was  an  unattractive  waste 
given  over  to  negro  squatters.  Now,  thanks  to  the  re- 
making of  the  city  under  Shepherd,  we  find  its  former 
swamps  and  hillocks  covered  with  miles  of  elegant 
residences.  One  would  go  far  in  Europe  or  America 
and  not  find  so  delightful  a  residential  street  as  Massa- 
chusetts Avenue  here  at  our  feet.  It  has  not;  as  you 
will  see,  the  ostentation  of  New  York  and  Chicago, 
but  it  has  more  charm.  The  social  life  led  under  the 
roofs  about  us  is  neither  unique  or  original.  Instead  it 
is  very  like  any  of  the  great  capitals,  with  a  strong 
English  flavor.  It  has  its  fox  hunts,  its  pink  balls,  its 
breakfasts  at  the  country  clubs,  and  the  five  o'clock  tea- 
table,  which  struggled  so  many  years  for  existence,  is 
at  last  an  established  fact.  Foreigners  complain  that 
it  has  not  enough  local  coloring  to  make  it  interesting. 
But  this  is  true  to  the  superficial  observer  only.  There 
are  still  many  primitive  and  characteristic  things  which 
do  not  appear  on  the  surface.  Society  is  no  longer  sad 
as  some  foreigner  said  of  it  years  ago.  On  the  contrary, 
it  is  merry  and  gay  enough,  with  a  natural  merriment 
and  gayety. 

Position  34.    Map  2. 


DIVISIONS    IN    WASHINGTON    SOCIETY  155 

From  the  beginning,  when  giving  a  dinner  was  a  tre- 
mendous undertaking  and  meant  hard  work  for  the 
mistress,  dinners  have  occupied  a  distinctive  and  undis- 
puted place  in  the  political,  as  well  as  the  social,  history 
of  Washington.  They  have  been  the  favorite  social 
functions  with  men  since  before  Cleopatra  feasted  An- 
tony. The  details  of  treaties  have  been  arranged,  offi- 
cial appointments  have  been  made,  and  great  political 
intrigues  have  developed  under  the  seductive  influence 
of  pate  and  champagne,  and  men  became  brothers  over 
canvas-backs  and  burgundy.  Ambitious  women  have 
gained  coveted  social  prestige  by  the  excellence  of  their 
menus,  and,  from  time  immemorial,  dinners  have  been 
more  telling  weapons  in  political  and  social  warfare  than 
steel  and  cannon.  Dinner-giving  has  become  a  fine  art 
in  Washington.  Illustrious  statesmen  and  distinguished 
women  have  interested  themselves  in  it.  Every  other 
person  is  an  epicure,  cooking  is  a  frequent  topic  of 
conversation,  and  there  are  no  barmecide  feasts. 

Washington  society  may  be  said  to  be  divided  into 
three  sets.  There  is,  first,  the  "  official  set,"  made  up 
of  families  who  are  in  official  life;  second,  there  are  the 
old  residents  of  the  District,  and  third,  there  is  what  is 
known  as  the  "  smart  set/'  composed  almost  entirely  of 
rich  people  who  have  come  to  the  capital  from  other 
cities.  The  old  residents  represent  the  best  families 
of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  are  more  jealous  of  their 
rights  and  prerogatives  than  any  one  set  in  any  city 
to  be  found  in  this  or  any  other  country.  Pedigree, 
and  not  pocketbooks,  is  the  star  that  guides  them  and 
keeps  them  steadfast  in  their  course.  This  set  includes 
many  of  the  old  families  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  and  is 
sometimes  erroneously  called  "the  Army  and  Navy 
Circle."  The  "  smart  set "  includes  the  very  rich  who 
have  taste  in  dress,  possess  handsome  homes  and  the 

Position  34.    Map  2. 


156  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

knack  of  entertaining  well,  and  the  ability  to  be  agree- 
able. The  leaders  of  this  set  come  largely  from  other 
cities.  They  build  handsome  homes  and  cultivate  the 
old  residents.  Some  are  recognized  by  these  old  Wash- 
ingtonians,  and  with  this  endorsement  they  soon  become 
independent. 

Official  society  is  free  for  all,  without  any  handicap. 
The  doors  of  the  official  are  always  left  open  to  any 
other  official,  and  each  set  of  officials  has  its  day  for 
receiving.  Monday  has  for  years  been  known  as  the 
Supreme  Court  day.  On  that  day  the  wives  of  the 
Chief  Justice  and  associate  justices  are  at  home  to 
receive  callers.  Strangers  and  visitors  to  the  city  feel 
perfectly  at  liberty  to  call  on  the  wives  of  the  Justices 
and  they  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege.  Tuesday  has 
been  preempted  by  the  wives  of  the  members  of  the 
House,  while  Wednesday  is  known  as  Cabinet  day.  On 
Thursday  the  wives  of  Senators  hold  court,  and  this  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  days  in  the  week  for  visiting. 
Swarms  of  carriages  and  people  afoot  can  be  seen  on 
Thursdays  making  the  round  of  senatorial  homes. 
This  leaves  only  two  days  for  the  unofficial  residents  to 
receive  unless  they  want  to  clash  with  one  of  the  official 
days.    As  a  rule,  they  choose  Friday  or  Saturday. 

Washington  society  is  at  its  brightest  and  best  during 
the  winter  season.  When  summer  comes  there  is  an- 
other and  a  very  different  story  to  tell.  Then  the  beau- 
tiful city  about  us  becomes  like  a  capital  of  the  Congo 
country.  There  are  plenty  of  people  here  at  that  time. 
Congress  is  often  sitting  even  in  midsummer.  But  if 
it  is  not,  still  plenty  are  here — clerks,  heads  of  depart- 
ments, the  whole  of  bureaucracy  and  trade  and  de- 
pendent labor ;  and  what  a  queer  experience  they  have ! 
After  dark  they  venture  out  for  breath  and  exercise, 
and  the  enjoyment  of  a  respite  from  the  terrors  of  the 

Posltloa  34.    Map  2. 


WASHINGTON    IN    SUMMER    TIME  157 

day,  to  prepare  for  the  terrors  of  the  night  in  the 
bedrooms.  At  nine  o'clock  at  night  darkness  and  silence 
reign.  Shadowy  forms  are  seen  on  the  porches  of  the 
dwellings,  on  the  high  stoops  and  the  galleries  over  the 
bay-windows.  They  are  the  women  who  have  learned  a 
trick  from  their  negress  servants  and  from  the  fixed 
tropical  conditions,  and  upon  the  porches  and  balconies, 
out  of  reach,  dress  like  Sandwich  Islanders.  If  a  pedes- 
trian turns  towards  a  house,  they  disappear  indoors. 

The  pedestrian  in  time  turns  in  at  his  own  gate  and 
into  his  own  bed.  Exhausted,  he  sleeps,  but  it  is  fitful 
sleeping,  and  every  now  and  then  he  wakes  to  find  his 
pillow  drenched.  On  some  nights  the  oxygen  leaves  the 
air,  and  it  becomes  dead  and  motionless.  When  day 
breaks  and  the  city  bustles  and  the  sun  rises  high,  the 
people  pray  for  rain.  If  it  comes,  it  presents  itself  with 
tropical  severity,  in  slanting  sheets.  It  may  do  good,  and 
probably  does,  but  never  enough  to  satisfy  the  populace. 
After  it  is  over,  the  streets  remind  the  beholder  of  pic- 
tures of  the  earth  at  the  time  of  the  coal  formation — a 
hot,  hissing,  steaming  mass.  During  the  entire  hot 
season  the  people  have  time  and  inclination,  to  reflect 
upon  the  disadvantages  of  having  the  two  extremes  of 
climate  in  one  year,  and  upon  the  impossibility  of  build- 
ing a  city  to  meet  both  extremes.  Having  to  choose  be- 
tween the  two,  Washington  necessarily  elected  to  become 
a  winter  city.    It  is  a  northern  city  on  a  southern  site. 

One  of  the  notable  landmarks  of  Washington  remains 
to  be  visited — the  Soldiers'  Home  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  city.  Its  location  is  outside  the  northern  limits 
of  our  General  Map  of  Washington.  We  shall  visit  it 
now. 


Position  34.    Map  2. 


158  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Position  35,     Peace  and  Suns7iine  at  the  Soldiers9 
Home  for  War-worn  Veterans,  Wash- 
ington, U.S.A. 

How  picturesque  and  beautiful  is  the  scene  that  now 
commands  our  admiration.  The  buildings  before  us 
furnish  a  home  for  men  who  have  been  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  regular  army  after  twenty  years  of 
service,  or  who  have  been  disabled  by  wounds  or  disease. 
The  white  marble  structure  on  our  right  is .  the  Scott 
Building,  the  largest  of  the  five  dormitory  buildings 
which  now  house  nearly  a  thousand  veterans.  Could 
we  stroll  through  the  grounds  that  surround  them  we 
should  come  at  every  turn  upon  maimed  and  crippled 
men,  now  bent  with  age,  who  fought  with  Grant  from 
Belmont  to  Appomattox,  who  followed  Sherman  from 
Atlanta  to  the  sea,  or  who  felt  the  shock  of  battle  with 
other  commanders,  sitting  together  in  couples  or  groups, 
or  wandering  along  the  shady  walks,  waiting  for  the 
final  drum  "taps."  They  could  not  have  a  better  har- 
bor than  the  one  in  which  we  find  them.  Sturdy  oaks, 
clumps  of  other  trees  beautifully  arranged  both  by 
nature  and  art,  long,  shady  drives,  babbling  brooks, 
pretty  ponds,  miniature  lakes,  dense  foliage  here  and 
there  and  a  southern  vista  through  the  trees  to  where 
three  miles  away,  the  great,  white  dome  of  the  Capitol 
lifts  its  head,  make  it  one  of  the  noblest  spots  in 
America. 

The  Catholic  University  is  now  on  our  right.  Be- 
hind the  buildings  in  front  of  us  is  the  National  Cem- 
etery, where  nearly  7,000  veterans  are  taking  their  last 
sleep;  and  on  our  left  are  the  heights  of  Georgetown. 
This  we  cannot  see,  but  here  in  full  view  on  our  left 
is  a  structure  that  has  played  its  part  in  history.  This 
is  the  Anderson  Building,  named  for  General  Robert 

Position  35.    Map  2. 


AN    ANECDOTE    OF    LINCOLN  159 

Anderson,  the  hero  of  Fort  Sumjter,  but  popularly 
known  as  the  President's  Cottage,  for  the  reason  that 
here  several  of  the  Presidents  have  spent  the  summer 
months.  President  Lincoln  sat  often  in  the  shade  of 
yonder  porch,  and  more  than  one  characteristic  story 
attaches  to  his  occupancy  of  the  cottage.  Joshua  F. 
Speed,  a  friend  of  Lincoln's  youth,  being  in  Washington 
in  the  summer  of  1864,  was  invited  out  here  to  spend 
the  night.  Entering  the  President's  room  unannounced, 
he  found  him  sitting  near  one  of  the  windows  that 
now  blink  at  us  through  the  sunshine,  intently  reading 
his  Bible. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  profitably  engaged,"  said 
Speed. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  am  profitably  engaged." 

"  When  I  knew  you  in  early  life,"  continued  Speed, 
"  you  were  a  skeptic  and  so  was  I.  If  you  have  recovered 
from  skepticism,  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  not." 

"  You  are  wrong,  Speed,"  said  the  President,  placing 
his  hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder  and  gazing  earnestly 
into  his  face.  "  Take  all  of  this  book  upon  reason  that 
you  can,  and  the  balance  on  faith,  and  you  will  live 
and  die  a  happier  man." 

The  ground  on  which  we  are  now  standing  is  the 
highest  around  Washington.  Could  we  cross  the  stretch 
of  lawn  in  front  of  us  and  look  southward  from  the 
portico  of  the  Scott  Building  we  should  see  in  the  dis- 
tance every  public  building  in  Washington, — the  tow- 
ering Monument,  Arlington,  the  Long  Bridge  over 
which  marched  Grant's  legions  toward  Eichmond,  and 
the  silvery  Potomac  winding  its  way  to  the  sea.  But 
it  would  be  the  Monument  that  would  first  claim  and 
longest  hold  our  attention.  Let  us  return  to  the  White 
House  where  we  can  see  the  great  obelisk  again,  its 

Position  35.    Map  2. 


160  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

most  charming  setting.     That  will  be  our  last  stand- 
point in  Washington. 

Position  36.     Inspiring  Outlook  from    the  Presi- 
dent's   South      Windows    to    the     Lofty 
Monument,  Washington.  U.S.A. 

Xow  we  are  looking  at  the  Monument  from  the 
southern  portico  of  the  White  House,  and  again  you  will 
agree  with  me  that  it  is  like  a  mountain  in  that  it  grows 
on  the  beholder.  How  lovely  is  its  present  setting  of 
trees  and  shrubbery  and  level  lawn !  And  how  the 
monument  itself  stands  out  in  wonderful  clearness  and 
glory.  We  are  viewing  it  now  on  a  summer's  evening. 
but  could  we  come  here  in  the  early  morning  at  any 
season  of  the  year  we  should  find  it  standing  out  in 
singular  grace  and  beauty.  In  the  later  evening  the 
little  lights  about  it  add  to  the  impression  of  its  height. 
At  such  times  it  cannot  be  seen  at  all  until  near  at 
hand,  and  then  it  seems  all  at  once  to  push  up  very  near 
the  beholder,  with  proportions  startlingly  huge.  One 
takes  leave  of  it  at  any  time  with  the  thought  that  the 
first  American  could  not  have  a  nobler  witness  to  his 
greatness,  nor  that  witness  a  more  fitting  site  than  the 
city  which  he  planned,  and  which  bears  his  name. 

Position  36.     Map 2. 


161 


THE  ENVIRONS  OF  WASHINGTON 

The  stranger  visiting  Washington  for  the  first  time 
is  always  anxions  to  visit  several  places  of  great  in- 
terest in  the  vicinity  of  Washington.  Among  the  nearest 
of  these  is  Arlington  with  its  Xational  Cemetery  and 
Gen.  Lee's  old  home.  Setting  forth  on  such  a  trip,  an 
hour's  ride  by  trolley  car  and  transfer  coach  through 
Georgetown  and  across  the  Potomac  takes  us  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  cemetery,  and  soon  we  are  in  front  of 
Arlington  House,  the  old  home  of  Gen.  Lee.  See  Map 
Xo.  L 

Position  A,     General  Robert  E.  Lee's  Old 
Home,  Arlington,    Va. 

We  are  standing  now  on  the  brow  of  a  steep  hill 
overlooking  the  Potomac.  200  feet  below  us  in  our  rear, 
and  in  the  centre  of  a  noble  estate  of  1.100  acres.  The 
title  of  this  tract  passed  from  Charles  II.,  King  of  Eng- 
land, who  claimed  it  by  "  grace  of  God  and  the  discovery 
of  John  Cabot/'  through  William  Berkeley.  Governor 
of  Virginia,  to  Robert  Hawsen.  October  21,  1669.  John 
and  Gerard  Alexander  became  the  owners  under  this 
title,  and  Gerard  Alexander  by  his  will,  dated  August  9. 
1760.  gave  the  property  to  his  son  Gerard,  by  whom 
it  was  conveyed.  December  25.  1778,  to  John  Parke 
Custis.  John  Parke  Custis  died  Xoveniber  5.  1781,  and 
George  Washington  adopted  two  of  his  children.  George 
Washington  Parke  Custis  and  Eleanor  Parke  Custis. 
George  Washington  Parke  Custis  inherited  the  Arling- 
ton estate,  and  in  1802  he  built  the  noble  mansion  in 


Position  A.    Map  I. 


162  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

front  of  us.  Later  this  mansion  became  the  home  of 
Robert  E.  Lee,  the  Confederate  chieftain,  but  in  1865 
house  and  estate  passed  to  the  federal  government.  The 
mansion  is  now  occupied  by  the  superintendent  of  the 
grounds,  and  keeps  silent  guard  over  the  graves  of 
16,000  soldiers  who  died  in  the  War  for  the  Union. 

It  may  be  doubted  if  in  all  the  world  there  is  a  more 
beautiful,  more  suggestive  burial  place  than  the  one  in 
which  we  are  standing,  and  one  loves  to  think  that 
"through  long  centuries  nature  lovingly  moulded  the 
spot,  making  it  ready  for  its  final  great  purpose,  the 
resting  place  of  the  nation's  silent  heroes."  But  the 
noble  lesson  taught  at  Arlington  imparts  its  fullest 
meaning  to  the  visitor  when  he  makes  reverent  pilgrim- 
ages, as  we  are  about  to  do,  to  its  Field  of  the  Dead. 

Position  B,     National  Cemetery,  Arlington,  Va. 

On  the  level  plateau  in  front  of  us  the  headstones  of 
white  marble  stretch  awa}?  in  lines  seemingly  endless 
to  the  vision.  They  are  set  in  ranks,  as  though  they 
had  "fallen  in"  for  muster,  and  on  each  slab  is  in- 
scribed the  name  of  the  soldier  whose  grave  it  marks, 
with  his  State  and  the  number  by  which  he  has  been  en- 
rolled in  the  Roll  of  Honor — the  roster  kept  by  the  War 
Department  of  those  who  died  in  the  service  of  their 
country.  But  more  pathetic  than  anything  else  in 
Arlington  is  an  oblong  granite  pile,  hidden  from  view 
on  our  left,  which  marks  the  site  of  a  pit  wherein  were 
buried  the  bones  of  2,111  unknown  soldiers,  gathered 
from  the  field  of  Bull  Run  and  the  route  to  the  Rappa- 
hannock. The  inscription  on  this  monument  tells  the 
story,  and  whoever  wrote  that  inscription — simple, 
strong  and  loving — was  a  poet,  probably  without  con- 
sciousness of  it : 

"  Here  lie  the  bones  of  2,111  unknown  soldiers.    Their 

Position  B.    Map  I. 


A    FAMOUS    DUELLING    GROUND  163 

remains  could  not  be  identified,  but  their  names  and 
deaths  are  recorded  in  the  archives  of  their  country,  and 
its  grateful  citizens  honor  them  as  their  noble  army  of 
martyrs.    May  they  rest  in  peace.7' 

Another  historic  spot  in  the  near  suburbs  of  Wash- 
ington which  demands  a  visit  is  Bladensburg  where  are 
the  old  duelling  ground  and  also  the  scene  of  the  Brit- 
ish victory  in  1814.  We  drive  to  Bladensburg,  five  miles 
northeast  of  the  city,  and  a  half  mile  beyond  the  village, 
now  a  rambling  collection  of  old  houses,  come  upon  a 
dip  of  green  meadow  beside  a  dried  up  brook  which  was 
for  half  a  century  the  famous  dueling  ground.  Find 
Bladensburg,  northeast  of  Washington,  on  Map  No.  1. 

Position    C.     Ravine    at    Bladensburg,  Md., 

Famous  for  Fatal  Duels,  Near  Scene  of 

British  Victory,  1814 

How  many  men  have  walked  down  to  yonder  dell  by 
the  side  of  the  dry  brook  hidden  under  the  bank  to 
satisfy  their  vanity  at  the  muzzle  of  the  pistol — men 
who  fought  as  a  test  of  their  courage,  because  they  were 
too  timid  to  defy  public  opinion  which  demanded  blood 
for  an  insult.  More  than  a  century  ago  this  sweet  swale 
was  turned  to  sanguinary  uses,  but  the  first  duellists 
were  undistinguished  persons.  In  1803  Senator  Dayton, 
of  New  Jersey,  met  here  Senator  De  Witt  Clinton,  of 
Xew  York,  on  account  of  Clinton's  aspersions  connect- 
ing Dayton  with  the  alleged  conspiracy  to  elect  Burr 
President;  but  when  the  pistols  lay  shining  in  the  sun 
ready  for  use,  Clinton  manfully  apologized  for  his  too 
hasty  speech,  and  they  all  returned  to  Washington  to- 
gether. Sixteen  years  later  another  Senator  stood  here 
seeking  blood — A.  T.  Mason,  of  Virginia.  His  antag- 
onist was  his  brother-in-law,  whom  he  had  persistently 

Position  C.    Map  I. 


104  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

pursued  with  challenges.  The  first  challenge  was  to  sit 
on  a  powder-barrel  and  light  the  fuse;  the  second  to 
hold  musket-muzzles  against  each  other's  breasts.  They 
finally  poured  buckshot  into  each  other  at  fifteen  feet, 
and  Mason  was  shot  dead. 

In  1849  Samuel  W.  Inge,  of  Alabama,  and  Edward 
Stanley  of  North  Carolina,  both  Congressmen,  fought 
a  duel  in  this  peaceful  meadow  because  they  had  called 
each  other  blackguards  in  debate.  At  the  third  fire, 
neither  being  scratched,  they  shook  hands,  made  up  and 
adjourned  to  a  neighboring  tavern.  In  1852  two  Rich- 
mond editors  fought  here  a  bloodless  duel  and  felt  better. 
Two  years  later  John  C.  Breckinridge  met  F.  B.  Cutting, 
of  New  York,  and  avoided  a  duel  by  tendering  a  just 
apology. 

But  the  two  duels  which  rendered  this  spot  most  in- 
famous were  those  in  which  Commodore  Decatur  and 
Congressman  Cilley  were  slain.  The  killing  of  Cilley, 
a  Representative  from  Maine,  was  nothing  less  than  a 
foul  murder.  Cilley  had  charged  corruption  upon  James 
Watson  Webb,  the  New  York  editor,  and  then  declined 
to  fight  with  him.  Graves,  Congressman  from  Ken- 
tucky, took  up  the  quarrel,  and  challenged  Cilley  be- 
cause he  would  not  certify  that  Webb  was  a  man  of 
honor.  Cilley  fell  dead  at  the  third  fire,  in  the  presence 
of  Henry  A.  Wise,  John  J.  Crittenden  and  eight  or  ten 
other  Congressmen. 

There  was  about  as  little  justice  in  the  duel  in  which 
Commodore  Decatur  was  killed  by  Commodore  Barron. 
Decatur,  virtually  at  the  head  of  the  American  navy, 
though  ranked  by  Barron,  aspersed  his  superior  and 
succeeded  in  keeping  him  on  shore.  Decatur's  was  a 
duelling  family.  He  had  fought  a  duel  while  at  school 
by  his  father's  advice,  and  badly  wounded  his  opponent. 
When  twenty-two  he  fought  another.     He  bullied  the 

Position  C.    Map  1. 


THE    DECATUR-BARRON    DUEL  165 

Spanish  officers  in  Barcelona,  and  was  second  in  a  duel 
in  which  one  of  them  was  killed  at  twelve  feet.  He  had 
been  second  in  a  dozen  duels,  in  one  of  which  his  own 
brother-in-law  was  slain.  And  now  he  had  nagged  and 
harassed  Barron  and  drawn  a  challenge  from  that  sad- 
dened and  embittered  officer.  At  dawn  on  the  morning 
of  March  22,  1820,  he  crept  downstairs  and  out  of  his 
house.  To  Capitol  Hill  he  walked,  and  breakfasted  at 
Beale's  Hotel.  At  breakfast  with  Commodore  Bain- 
bridge  he  was  very  chatty,  took  his  will  from  his  pocket 
and  showed  it,  and  laughingly  inquired  where  he  had 
better  hit  Barron.  "  111  the  hip,  I  think,"  he  said. 
Through  the  muddy  clay  to  Bladensburg  they  came,  and 
here  they  found  Barron  and  the  others.  Eight  yards 
apart  they  were  placed.  It  is  needless  to  follow  the  piti- 
less details.  They  fired  simultaneously.  Both  fell,  and 
each  supposed  he  was  mortally  wounded.  Decatur  died 
at  midnight,  and  his  widow  crept  away  to  become  a  life 
inmate  of  the  convent  at  Georgetown.  Barron  at  last 
recovered  and  dragged  out  a  miserable,  ruined,  broken- 
hearted existence. 

The  fields  about  us  were  also  the  scene  of  a  battle 
which  Americans  do  not  like  to  remember.  Here  on 
August  24,  1814,  4,500  British  veterans  under  Boss  met 
and  put  to  rout  5,000  militiamen  and  900  regulars  under 
Winder.  The  sequel  of  the  battle,  if  it  deserves  the 
name,  was  the  occupation  of  Washington  and  its  partial 
destruction  by  the  British,  who  on  August  29  regained 
their  ships  in  the  Chesapeake  without  molestation.  It 
should  be  added  that  the  burning  of  the  public  buildings 
at  Washington  caused  as  righteous  anger  in  England  as 
it  did  in  America,  and  in  the  House  of  Commons  was 
stigmatized  as  "  of  any  enterprise  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  war,  the  one  which  most  exasperated  the  people  and 
least  weakened  the  government." 

Position  C.    Map  1. 


166  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

And  now  turning  south  again  we  pass  down  the 
Potomac,  for  no  traveller  to  Washington  would  miss  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  home  and  tomb  of  Washington. 
On  the  way  we  shall  stop  at  the  quaint  town  of  Alex- 
andria (See  Map  No.  1),  for  a  visit  to  its  most  inter- 
esting landmark,  historic  Christ  Church,  which  Wash- 
ington helped  to  build  and  in  which  he  worshipped  for 
many  years. 

Position  2>.     Christ  Church  Alexandria,  Va,, 

Where   Washington  Joined  with  His 

Neighbors  in  Public   Worship 

It  requires  the  swing  of  a  turnstile  and  a  ten  cent 
piece  to  pass  the  iron  portal  in  front  of  us.  From  the 
small  fee  charged  and  the  liberality  of  the  congregation 
and  their  friends  abroad  the  church  has  just  been  com- 
pletely renovated  and  may  now  be  considered  good  for 
many  years.  The  interior  is  now  exactly  as  it  was  in 
Washington's  day.  The  church  is  built  of  small  bluish 
brick  imported  from  England.  The  high  pulpit,  with 
wooden  canopy  and  tablets  on  either  side  of  the  chancel 
containing  the  Lord's  Prayer,  Apostles'  Creed  and  Ten 
Commandments,  are  the  original  work.  Washington  was 
a  member  of  the  first  vestry  of  the  church,  in  1765,  when 
he  was  a  provincial  colonel,  a  large  plantation  owner 
and  a  leading  figure  in  the  province.  In  the  old  days 
there  were  thirty-five  high,  square  pews,  which  were  re- 
duced in  1816,  except  the  Washington  pew,  to  the  regu- 
lation style  of  sittings  of  to-day.  The  present  structure 
was  begun  in  1767,  according  to  the  specifications,  and 
delivered  to  the  vestry  in  177,3.  At  that  time  ten  pews 
were  sold.  Washington  purchased  pew  No.  5,  against 
the  north  wall,  for  £36  10s,  besides  £5  additional.  This 
pew  is  preserved  intact,  and  is  marked  by  a  silver  plate 
bearing    the    autograph    of    Washington.      It    is    not 

Position  D.    Map  I. 


THE    HOME    OF    WASHINGTON  167 

rented,  but  is  used  for  visitors  to  the  church  during 
services. 

Washington  was  a  disciplined  churchman  and  the 
traditions  of  the  Alexandria  church  say  that  he  al- 
ways participated  earnestly  in  the  responses,  especially 
repeating  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Creed.  He  always 
kneeled  in  prayer,  and  partook  of  the  communion  with 
Mrs.  Washington  and  Xellie  Custis,  afterward  Mrs. 
Lawrence  Lewis.  After  services  it  was  his  wont  to 
tarry  upon  the  lawn  before  the  church  to  receive  his 
neighbors  and  friends  in  a  pleasant  chat  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes.  Then,  handing  Mrs.  Washington  and 
Xellie  into  their  chaise  or  family  coach-and-four,  he 
mounted  his  favorite  steed,  his  negro  attendant  holding 
the  stirrup,  and  the  party  galloped  off  toward  Mount 
Ternon,  seven  miles  away.  Following  in  their  foot- 
steps, we,  too,  come  at  the  end  of  a  short  ride  by  trolley 
to  Mount  Vernon.  Xote  the  location  of  Mount  Vernon 
on  Map  No.  1. 

Position  E.     Home  of  Washington  Preserved 

in  Memory  of  the  Republic's  Founder, 

Mount  Vernon,  Ya. 

The  fine  old  pile  in  front  of  us  overlooks  the  Virginia 
shore  of  the  Potomac  sixteen  miles  south  of  Washington. 
It  is  of  wood,  cut  and  painted  to  resemble  stone.  It  was 
built  in  17-13  by  Lawrence,  half-brother  of  George  Wash- 
ington, who  gave  it  the  name  of  Mount  Vernon  in  honor 
of  Admiral  Vernon  under  whom  he  had  served  against 
Spain.  Lawrence  Washington  died  in  1752,  and  his 
estate  passed  to  his  only  daughter.  She  soon  followed 
her  father  to  the  grave,  and  young  George  Washington 
became  the  master  of  Mount  Vernon.  Here  in  1759 
he  brought  his  bride;  here  he  led  the  life  of  a  planter 
until  called  to  the  field ;  thence  he  returned  after  York- 

Posttlon  E.    Map  /. 


168  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

town,  and  again  after  his  terms  as  President,  and  here 
he  dwelt  in  dignified  retirement  until  his  death.  Thus 
Mount  Vernon  has  been  for  more  than  a  hundred  years 
a  shrine  of  patriotism,  and  it  is  good  to  know  that  since 
1860  it  has  been  the  property  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
Ladies'  Association,  and  so  of  the  Nation.  The  present 
ownership  and  administration  secure  the  mansion 
against  the  ravages  of  time  and  the  vandalism  of  un- 
worthy visitors.  Each  room  in  the  main  building  has 
been  assigned  to  a  State,  and  the  lady  regent  of  the 
State  entrusted  with  its  care  supervises  its  restoration, 
preservation  and  appropriate  furnishing.  In  this  way 
the  rooms  have  been  brought  back  in  the  style  of  the  life 
of  Washington  and  fitted  up  either  with  furniture  used 
by  Washington  or  of  his  times.  The  largest  room, 
usually  called  the  banquet-hall  or  state  dining-room,  is 
now  known  as  the  New  York  Eoom.  Peale's  "  Wash- 
ington before  Yorktown,"  given  by  the  heirs  of  the  artist 
to  the  Mount  Vernon  Association,  hangs  on  the  west 
side  of  the  room.  Washington  is  on  horseback,  and  with 
him  are  Lafayette,  Hamilton,  King,  Lincoln  and  Ro- 
chambeau.  The  picture  is  framed  in  the  wood  of  a  tree 
that  grew  on  the  farm  of  Robert  Morris.  The  military 
equipments  used  by  Washington  in  the  Braddock  cam- 
paign are  shown  in  a  glass  case.  The  Washington  fam- 
ily dining-room  is  now  the  South  Carolina  Room.  The 
sideboard  in  this  room  is  a  veritable  relic  used  by  Wash- 
ington and  his  family.  It  was  presented  by  the  wife  of 
General  Robert  E.  Lee,  who  wished  it  to  go  back  in  its 
original  place. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  relics  in  the  house  before 
us  are  those  in  the  sleeping  chambers  on  the  second 
floor.  "  Lafayette's  Room  "  has  still  the  original  four 
poster  with  heavy  tester  and  hangings,  and  the  desk  and 
dressing-table,  which  served  the  marquis  on  his  visits  to 

Position  B.    Map  1. 


WHERE    WASHINGTON    DIED  169 

the  Washington  family.  The  room  of  Nellie  Custis  has 
in  it  a  quaint  and  beautiful  chair  which  came  over 
with  Lord  Baltimore;  while  the  mirror  by  which  she 
made  her  toilet  and  the  steps  by  which  she  climbed  into 
her  lofty,  curtained  bed  are  still  in  their  old  places. 
In  another  room  is  a  curious  candlestick  of  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's, an  upright  rod  supporting  a  cross-beam,  in  each 
end  of  which  is  a  brass  candlestick,  whose  base,  a  tripod, 
rests  upon  the  floor.  The  interest  of  the  whole  house, 
however,  centres  in  the  room  where  Washington  died, 
and  in  which  the  years  have  wrought  no  change.  The 
bed  upon  which  he  lay  dying  on  a  December  day  in  1799 
stands  in  the  same  spot  to-day.  Near  it  is  a  light  table 
stained  with  the  marks  of  his  medicine  glasses,  and  at  its 
foot  the  chair  in  which  the  faithful  wife  sat  watching 
through  all  the  weary  hours,  and  upon  which,  when  all 
was  over,  lay  her  open  Bible.  One  who  would  have 
watched  with  her  was  absent  from  the  room,  sweet 
Nellie  Custis,  given  in  marriage  by  Washington  to  his 
nephew,  Lawrence  Lewis,  on  the  evening  of  the  2 2d  of 
February,  1799,  the  last  birthday  vouchsafed  to  the  great 
man,  lay  in  her  chamber  only  a  few  steps  off,  with  a 
new-born  baby  beside  her.  One  must  climb  another 
flight  of  stairs  to  reach  the  room  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Washington  after  this — a  low,  narrow-roofed  room,  very 
cold  in  winter,  for  there  was  no  way  of  heating  it,  and 
hot  when  the  summer  sun  beat  upon  it.  Through  its 
single  dormer  window,  however,  she  could  look  out  upon 
her  husband's  tomb,  and  there  she  remained  until  the 
silver  cord  which  bound  her  to  life  was  loosed  and  she 
went  to  join  him  in  his  long  sleep  by  the  river.  Let  us 
visit  the  spot  where  they  rest  side  by  side. 


Positions  E,  F.    Map  1. 


170  WASHINGTON    THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE 

Position  F.     The  Tomb  of  America's  Greatest 
Citizen,  Washington,  at  Mount  Vernon,  Va. 

The  tomb  of  Washington,  as  you  see,  is  a  severely 
plain  structure  of  brick.  The  two  marble  sarcophagi 
visible  in  its  ante-chamber  hold  all  that  is  mortal  of 
Washington  and  his  wife.  The  one  on  the  right  bears 
on  its  face  the  name  of  Washington,  with  chiseled  coat- 
of-arms  of  the  United  States  and  a  draped  flag.  The 
other  sarcophagus  is  graven  with  the  legend,  "  Martha, 
Consort  of  Washington,  Died  May  21,  1801,  aged  71 
years/'  Strange  to  say  the  date  is  an  error;  it  should 
have  read  1802.  The  tomb  to  which  we  here  make 
pilgrimage  is  known  as  the  New  Tomb  to  distinguish  it 
from  Washington's  first  resting-place  which  is  hidden 
from  view  on  our  left.  It  was  to  the  Old  Tomb  that  in 
1824  Lafayette  paid  his  memorable  visit.  Seven  years 
later  it  was  broken  into  and  rifled  of  a  skull,  which  the 
ghoul  mistakenly  believed  to  be  that  of  Washington. 
A  more  secure  vault  was  then  built,  and  the  remains 
transferred  to  it. 

The  double  gates  which  we  see  guarding  the  New 
Tomb  recall  a  singular  act  of  vandalism  of  the  Civil 
War.  These  grounds  of  Washington's  house  and  tomb 
were  neutral  during  that  conflict.  They  constituted  the 
one  spot  upon  which  Union  and  Confederates  could  meet 
and  fraternize.  And  it  was  while  the  pickets  of  both 
armies  were  thus  at  free  quarters  that  an  attempt  was 
made  to  desecrate  the  sarcophagus.  There  was  only  one 
gate  to  the  tomb  at  that  time.  The  iron  bars  of  this 
gate  did  not  extend  to  the  ceiling  of  the  entrance. 
The  man  who  committed  the  depredation  climbed  over 
the  top  of  the  gate,  reached  the  sarcophagus,  and  broke 
a  talon  from  the  marble  eagle  above  the  receptacle. 
That  was  the  extent  of  the  act.     This  led  to  the  con- 


Posittoa  F.    Map  I. 


THE    TOMB    OF    WASHINGTON  171 

struction  of  the  double  gates  which  we  now  find  shut- 
ting in  the  dead.  So  close  are  the  bars  of  the  two  gates 
that  when  the  place  is  strewn  with  flowers  they  are 
passed  through  the  bars  by  means  of  long  poles.  Un- 
der the  strictest  orders  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Association 
these  gates  are  never  to  be  open.  After  the  double 
gate  was  constructed  the  outer  one  was  locked  and  the 
key  was  thrown  into  the  channel  of  the  Potomac  Eiver. 
The  channel  was  chosen  because  the  Potomac  is  the 
haunt  of  o}Tster  dredgers  and  fishermen,  and  they  operate 
in  the  shallows,  and  the  man  who  threw  the  key  away 
was  specifically  instructed  to  drop  it  in  the  channel  of 
the  stream. 


Position  F.    Map  1. 


NOTE. — If  for  any  reason  a  person  feels  unable  to 
purchase  the  complete  Washington  Tour  we  suggest  the 
following  eighteen  standpoints :  1,  4,  7,  8,  9,  11,  14, 
15,  17,  18,  19,  21,  22,  24,  25,  28,  33,  36,  or  twenty-four 
standpoints,  adding  the  following  four  to  the  above: 
2,  3,  5,  20,  27,  29. 


INDEX   TO    STEREOGRAPHS   AND   BOOK* 


Adams,  Abigail,  16. 

Adams,  John,  16,  17,  36,  97,  111. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  18,  21,  38,  78, 

112,  118. 
Agricultural  Department  Building,  7, 

12,  60. 
Agricultural  Grounds,  7,  60. 
Alexandria,  14. 

Christ  Church,  D,  166. 
Anacosta,  12. 

Anderson,  General  Robert,  159. 
Arlington  Hotel,  45. 
Arlington  National  Cemetery,  2,  C,  12, 

39,  164,  165. 
Arsenal,  13. 

Arthur,  Chester  A.,  30. 
Atzerot,  George,  49,  51,  53. 

B 

Baker,  Senator,  74. 

Baltimore  &  Potomac  and  Pennsylvania 

Railroad  Station,  T,  17,  65. 
Barron,  Commodore,  118,  162. 
Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,  48. 
Bayard,  James  A.,  17,  18. 
Beale,  General  Edward,  118. 
Benton,  Thomas  H.,  18. 
Bladensburg,  A.  161. 
Blaine,  James  G.,  77. 
Bonaparte,  Jerome,  117. 
Booth,  John  Wilkes,  50,  51,  52. 
Breckenridge,  John  C,  162. 
Buchanan,  James,  26,  73,  93,  112. 
Bulfinch,  Charles,  67. 
Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing,  3, 

40,  43,  135,  137. 
Burr,  Aaron,  18. 


Calhoun,  John  C,  19,  24,  36. 
Calvary  Baptist  Church,  6,  50. 
Capitol,  1,  2,  7,  8,  10,  28,  29,  13, 

16,  25,  26,  30,  37,  39,  44,  60,  65,  67, 

73,  88,  92,  94,  132,  133. 
Burning  of,  20,  97. 
Carroll,  Daniel,  15,  66,  67. 
Casey,  Thomas  L.,  41,  89,  158. 
Cass,  Lewis,  24. 
Catholic  University,  13,  158. 
Center  Market,  7,  31 ,  65, 144. 
Charleston,  22. 
Chase,  Salmon  P.,  25. 
Church   of    the  Covenant,    34,    116, 

153. 
Cilley,  Commodore,  66.  162. 
Civil  War,  Opening  of,  26. 
Clay,  Henry,  18,  22,  24,  36,  78.  118. 
Cleveland,  Grover,  30. 
Clinton,  DeWitt,  18,  161. 
Clinton,  George,  18,  64. 
Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,  7 ,  64. 
Columbian  Institution  for  Deaf  Mutes, 

50. 
Columbian  University,  119. 
Compromise  of  1833,  22. 
Compromise  of  1850,  24. 
Congressional  Cemetery,  12,  64. 
Conkling,  Roscoe,  77. 
Corcoran  Art  Gallery,  119. 
Corcoran,  William  W.,  118,  152. 
Constitution,  United  States,  123,  124. 
Crawford,  Thomas,  69. 
Crawford,  William  H.,  18,  78. 
Crittenden,  John  J.,  162. 
Curtin,  Andrew  G.,  93. 
Cutting,  P.  B.,  162 

*  The  stereograph  numbers  are  given  in  heavy  type,  »nd  the  book  pages  in 
light  type. 


m 


INDEX 


D 

Davis,  Jefferson,  25. 
Dayton,  Senator,  161. 
Dead  Letter  Office,  6,  55. 
Decatur,  Commodore,  117,  162. 
Declaration  of  Independence,  123, 

125, 
Department  of  the  Interior,  6,  50. 
Dewey,  Admiral  George,  24,  120. 

Home  of,  154. 
Dexter,  Samuel,  17. 
Dickens,  Charles,  78. 
Dorr,  S.  G.,  146. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  25,  74. 


England,  Second  War  with,  18,  19. 
Evans,  "Fighting  Bob,"  24,  120. 


Fava,  Baron  de,  130. 

Fessenden,  William  P.,  25. 

Fillmore,  Millard,  24,  26,  78. 

Folger,  Secretary  of  Treasury,  112. 

Ford,  Thomas,  113. 

Ford's  Theatre,  50,  51. 

Forsyth,  John,  64. 

Fort  Sumter,  Fall  of,  26. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  123. 

Fuller,  Chief  Justice,  10,  11,  72,  75. 

Q 

Gallatin,  Albert,  17,  18,  111. 
Gardiner,  Senator,  102. 
Garfield,  James  A.,  30,  77,  108. 
Georgetown,  12,  13,  14,  44,  132. 
German  Reformed  Church,  116. 
Gerry,  El  bridge,  64. 
Gilmer,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  102. 
Girard,  Stephen,  66. 
Government  Printing  Office,  6,  58. 
Grant,  U.  S.,  29,  30,  31,  105. 
Green,  Bernard  R.,  89. 
Grow,  Galusha  A.,  7,  8,  25. 

H 

Hale,  John  P.,  25. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  111,  123. 


Hamlin,  Hannibal,  25. 
Harlan,  Judge,  84. 
Harrison,  Benjamin,  30,  116. 

William   Henry,    23,    73,  98,  101, 
145. 
Hay,  John,  11,  75,  131. 
Hayes,  Rutherford  B.,  30,  111. 

Mrs.,  115. 
Hengelmuller,  Herr,  130. 
Henry,  General  Guy  V.,  39. 

Joseph,  62. 
Herbert,  Sir  Michael,  130. 
Herold,  David  E.,  49,  51,  53. 
Hoban,  James,  96,  101. 
Hoe,  R.  A.,  147. 
Houston,  Samuel,  25. 
Howard,  John  Eager,  17. 
Howard  University,  13. 
Howe,  Julia  Ward,  47. 

I 

Inge,  Samuel  W.,  162. 
Irving  Washington,  18. 


Jackson,  Andrew,  21,  22,  23,  72,  78. 

Statue  of  General,  23,  116. 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  15,  17,  36,  111,  112, 

123. 
Johnson,  Andrew,  25,  30,  51,  53,  105. 

119. 
Jones's  Point,  15. 


K 

Kennon,  Commodore, 
Key,  D.  M.,  111. 
King,  Rufus,  19. 


Lafayette,  38. 

Lafayette  Square,  23,  45,  116,  117,  120, 

132. 
Lafayette  Square  Opera  House,  4,  45. 
Lane,  Harriet,  115. 
Latrobe,  Benjamin  H,  67,  78,  117. 
Lee,  General,  Home  of,  B,  164. 
Surrender  of,  29. 


INDEX 


175 


L'Enfant,  Major  Pierre  Charles,  15. 

Grave  of,  33. 
Library  of  Congress,  1*  2,  7,  14,  37, 

•       39,  60,  88,  89,  90. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  26,  28,  29,  71,  73,  78, 
93,  107,    108,  112,   113,  114,  119, 
120,  159. 
Assassination  of,  52. 
Funeral  of,  54, 102. 
Livingston,  Edward,  17,  118. 
Long  Bridge,  5,  47,  93. 
Louise  Home  for  Women,  151. 
Louisiana  Purchase,  17. 

M 

McClellan,  General,  117. 

McKinley,  William,  9,  10,  30,   65,  70, 

72,  77,  131. 
Madison,  Dolly,  18. 

Home  of,  116. 

James,  18,  20,  36,  111,  112,  123. 
Manning,  Secretary  of    the  Treasury, 

112. 
Maps,  Patent,  7, 10, 34. 

No.  1  (Washington  and  vicinity), 
14,  15, 161,  164,  166, 167. 

No.  2  (General),  12,  35,  39,  40,  44, 
46,  49,  60,  66,  88,  90,  91,  92,  115, 
132,  133,  143,  146,  150,  157. 

No.  3  (Plan  of  Capitol),  69,  70,  72, 
74,  79,  80,  83. 

No.  4  (White  House  and  vicinity), 
40,  96,  115,  120,  132,  133. 
Marshall,  John,  17,  111,  145. 
Mason,  Jonathan,  17. 

A.  T.,  162. 
Massachusetts  Avenue,  33,  150,  151. 
Maxey,  Virgil,  102. 
Medical  Museum,  7,  12,  60,  63. 
Metropolitan  Meth.  Episcopal  Church, 

7,65. 
Mexico,  War  with,  24. 
Miles,  General,  1 1 ,  75. 

Home  of,  34,  153. 
Missouri  Compromise,  21,  26. 
Monroe,  James,  21,  78,  111,  112,  123. 
Morrill,  Justin  S.,  79. 
Morris,  Gouverneur,  17. 
Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  79. 
Mount  Vernon,  E,  164,  167,  168. 
Mullett,  Alexander  B.,  31. 


N 

National  Asylum  for  the  Insane, 
National  Botanical  Garden,  17, 
National  Museum,  7,  12,  60,  62. 
Naval  Observatory,  33,  12,  151. 
Navy  Yard,  12,  37. 
New  York,  13,  16. 

o 

Oak  Hill  Cemetery,  119. 
Otis,  Harrison  Gray,  17  . 


Parsons,  Theophilus,  17. 
Payne,  Lewis,  49,  51,  53. 
Pelz,  Paul  J.,  89. 
Pension  Office,  6,  50,  56. 
Pennsylvania  Avenue,  14,  17,  28,  17, 

18,  73,  88,  92,  100,  132,  133. 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Station,  7,  17, 

92. 
Philadelphia,  16. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  26,  93. 
Pinckney,  Charles,  17. 
Polk,  James  K„  24. 
Post  Office  Building,  6,  17,  49,  50,  54, 

58,  92,  93. 
Potomac,  12,  13,  14,  19,  116,  126,  132. 
Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  11,  75. 


R 


Randolph,  Edmund,  112. 

John,  17. 
Randall,  Samuel  J.,  77. 
Rathbone,  Major,  52. 
Republican  Party,  Formation  of,  26. 
Reed,  Thomas  B.,  77. 
Roosevelt,  Theodore,  10,  11,  21,  30, 
60,  72,  75,  106,  116,  131. 

Mrs.,  22,  114. 
Root,  Secretary,  11,  75. 


Saint  John's  Church,  4,  23,  45,  116. 
Saint  Paul's  Church,  6,  60, 
Santo-Thyrso,  Viscount,  131. 
Schley,  Rear- Admiral,  24,  120. 
Scott  Circle,  34,  153. 
Scott,  General,  22, 
Statue  of,  153. 


176 


INDEX 


Sedgwick,  Theodore,  17. 

Semple,  Mrs.  Letitia  Tyler,  152. 

Senate  Chamber,  18,  79. 

Seward,  William  H.,  25,  51,  53. 

Shepherd,  Alexander  R.,  30,  31,  32. 

Sherman,  John,  94. 

Sigsbee,  Captain,  24,  120. 

Smithson,  John,  60. 

Smithsonian  Institute,  7,  12,  60,  61. 

Soldiers'  Home,  35,  13,  158. 

South  Carolina  Convention,  22. 

Speed,  Joshua  F.,  159. 

Stanley,  Edward,  162. 

Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  27,  28,  53. 

State,  War  and  Navy  Building,  4,  23, 
24,  25,  12,  13,  16,  27,  31,  37,  40, 
44,  116,  120,  121,  126, 132. 

Statue  of  Freedom,  8,  69. 

Stereographs,  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  34. 

Stephens,  Alexander  H.,  25, 

Story,  Joseph,  19. 

Stuart,  David,  15. 

Sumner,  Charles,  25. 

Sumter,  Thomas,  17. 

Supreme  Court  Room,  13,  83. 


Taney,  Chief  Justice,  74. 

Taylor,  Zackary,  24,  99,  10S. 

Texas,  Annexation  of,  24.  • 

Thomas  Circle,  150. 

Thornton,  William,  67. 

Toombs,  Robert,  25. 

Tracy,  Uriah,  65. 

Treasury  Department  Building,  4,17, 
28,  30,  12,  13,  16,  20,  26,  31,  37, 
44,  92,  101,  116,  132,  133,  134,  140. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  20. 

Trumbull,  Lyman,  25. 

Tyler,  John,  23,  102. 


u 


United  States  Fish  Commission,  7,  64. 
United  States  Patent  Office,  32,  146. 
Upshur,  Abel  P.,  64,  102. 


Van  Buren,  Martin,  23,  24,  112, 118. 
Van  Holleben,  Herr,  130. 

w 

Wade,  Benjamin,  25,  80,  94. 

Wainwright,  Captain,  24,  120. 

Walter,  Thomas  W.,  25,  68. 

War  Office,  16,  28. 

Washington,  George,  14,  15,  16,  36,  96, 

101,  110,  111,  123,  166. 
Home  of,  E,  167,  168. 
Tomb  of,  F,  33,  169,  170. 
Lawrence,  167. 

Monument,  2,  3,  17,  36,  12.  13, 

37,  39,  40,  43,  44,  85,  92,  132,  160. 

National   Monument  Association, 

41. 
Orphan  Asylum,  119. 
Story  of,  12  to  33. 
Watson,  Rear  Admiral,  24,  120. 
Webb,  James  Watson,  162. 
Webster,  Daniel,  21,  25,  36,  78,  118,  145. 
White  House,  4,  18,19,20,21,22, 
28,  12,  13,  16,  17,  20,  24,  26,  27, 
30,  37,  40,  44,  96,  97,  98,  100,  101, 

102,  103,  104,  105,  106,  108,  113, 
120,  130,  131,  132. 

Whitney,  Eli,  146. 

Wilde,  Richard  Henry,  78. 

Wilkes,  Commodore,  117. 

Willard's  Hotel,  17,93. 

Wilmot,  David,  25. 

Wilson,  Henry,  25. 

Winder,  William  H.,  20. 

Windom,    Secretary    of   the  Treasury, 

112. 
Winthrop,  Robert  C,  42. 
Wirt,  William,  64. 
Wise,  Henry  A.,  162. 


Zoological  Park,  12. 


THE  STEREOSCOPE    IN   THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

"It  is  as  absurd  to  study  history  or  geography  without 
adequate  first-hand  experience  of  seeing  places,  things  and  people, 
with  the  life-like  realism  of  the  stereoscope,  as  to  study  natural 
sciences  without  a  laboratory.  Sense  experience  should  be  the 
foundation  stone  of  mind  building." — Dr.  Winship,  Editor  of 
Ttit  Journal  of  Education. 

"  The  most  important  step  made  to  aid  in  the  use  of  photo- 
graphic illustration  is  the  patent-map  system  which  goes  with 
each  collection  of  the  Underwood  stereographs.  The  stereographs 
are  numbered,  and  on  the  accompanying  map  the  same  number 
is  placed  at  the  point  from  which  the  view  was  taken,  and  from 
which  red  lines  are  drawn  enclosing  the  space  included  in  the 
view.  Thus  it  is  with  every  view.  Carefully  studying  the  map 
and  facing  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  map,  we  go  over  the 
whole  land,  and  see  it  just  as  if  we  were  travelling  in  the  land 
itself."— F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.D.,  Editor  "Select  Notes"  on  the 
S.  S.  Lessons. 

"  In  late  years  there  has  been  perfected  something  that,  in  my 
judgment,  goes  ahead  of  ordinary  pictures,  and  quenches  the 
mind's  thirst  for  the  concrete  almost  as  completely  as  the  very 
object  before  the  bodily  sight.  I  refer  to  the  stereograph.  The 
art  of  illustration,  as  we  all  know,  has  been  marvellously  improved 
in  recent  years.  Our  commonest  school-books  to-day  have 
process  illustrations  that  for  accuracy,  delicacy,  and  beauty  are 
greatly  superior  to  the  best  of  sixty  years  since.  Our  ten-cent 
magazines  are  familiar  miracles  of  picture-books.  Certainly,  the 
human  mind  has  been  vastly  enriched  by  this  cheapening  and 
perfecting  of  processes  of  illustration.  But  even  the  best  pictures 
we  still  feel  to  be  but  pictures  ;  they  do  not  create  the  illusions 
of  reality,  solidity,  depth.  'The  best  in  this  kind  are  but 
shadows.'  But  with  the  stereoscope  the  wonder  of  photography 
is  brought  to  its  culmination.  Man  is  a  two-eyed  animal,  and 
the  stereoscope  with  its  two  lenses  that  blend  two  pictures  into 
one  is  like  a  pair  of  omnipresent  human  eyes,  at  the  command  of 
every  one."— George  J.  Smith,  Ph.D.,  Board  of  School  Examin- 
ers, Xew  York. 


The  Travel  Lessons 

(Illuminated) 
ON    THE    LIFE   OF  JESUS 

and 
ON  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

DR.  WILLIAM  BYRON  FORBUSH,  author  of  "The  Boy 
Problem,"  has  worked  out  by  actual  experience  with  his  famous 
class,  these  original,  inspiring,  Bible  Study  courses. 

Accompany  International,  Blakeslee's,  Davis',  Murray's  and  all 
Sunday  School  and  personal  Bible  Study  courses,  or  may  be 
used  independently.  Solve  these  problems:  attendance,  order, 
interest  in  Bible,  real  religious  education.  They  introduce  an 
entirely  new  method  and  apparatus  which  makes  an  addition  of 
permanent  and  constant  value  to  the  equipment  for  Bible  Study 
classes. 

THE  PLAN  OF  THESE  TRAVEL  LESSONS  is  to  teach 
Biblical  History  while  the  student  is  in  the  very  atmosphere  of 
the  places  where  that  history  was  enacted. 
GOV.  JOHN  L.  BATES,  Mass.: 

"  So  realistic  and  natural  is  the  scene  made  that  one  feels  as  if 
he  is  beholding  the  actual  scenery  ;   he  obtains  the  inspiration 
that  actual  sight  gives." 
GEO.  A.  GORDON,  D.D.: 

"After  looking  over  your  stereographs  of  Palestine  one  feels 
as  if  he  had  looked  upon  natural  scenery  itself." 
O.  E.  BROWN,  D.D.: 

"The  use  of  the  hand-books  and  maps  prepares  one  to  look 
upon  the  scenes  with  a  perfectly  definite  sense  of  location,  and 
they  do  actually  produce  the  realization  of  having  seen  the  actual 
locality  and  not  merely  a  picture  of  it." 
THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TIMES: 

"  Dr.  Forbush  is  proving  in  his  own  Sunday  School  that  it  is 
possible  to  get  a  class  of  twenty-five  healthy,  restless,  American 
boys  as  much  interested  in  studying  the  life  of  Christ  as  they  are 
in  football  scores." 
MR.  EDWIN  F.  SEE,  Gen.  Sec'y.  Brooklyn  Y.  M.  C.  A.: 

"I  have  examined  with  great  care  and  used  in  class  work 
stereoscopes  and  stereographs  suggested  for  the  use  of  Bible 
courses  by  Dr.  Forbush  through  Underwood  &  Underwood.  It 
gives  what  is  very  much  needed,  reality  to  the  persons  and  scenes 
of  the  Bible." 

Send  for  Dr.  Forbush's  free  descriptive  circular  of  either  or 
both  of  these  courses  to  UNDERWOOD  &  UNDERWOOD,  Bible 
Study  Dept.,  5th  Ave.  &  19th  St.,  New  York  City. 


MEN  WHO   HAVE  MADE  HISTORY 

Underwood  &  Underwood  are  making  opportunities  for  the 
public  to  see  not  only  great  sights  and  famous  places,  but  also 
great  men  just  as  they  live  and  act  in  their  daily  affairs.  Among 
such  are: 

PRESIDENT  McKINLEY  (on  more  than  sixty  important 
occasions,  e.  g. ,  taking  the  oath  of  office ;  in  council  with 
his  cabinet,  etc.). 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  (on  more  than  one  hundred 
occasions,  including  camp-life  with  the  Rough  Riders 
and  the  delivery  of  addresses  in  twenty-six  different  States). 

JUDGE  ALTON  B.  PARKER. 

ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 

THOMAS  C.  PLATT. 

HENRY  CABOT  LODGE. 

WILLIAM  J.  BRYAN. 

GEORGE  F.  HOAR. 

And  many  other  American  leaders  of  thought  and  action. 

Among  the   famous  men,  not  Americans,  who  can  be  seen 
through  stereographs  are : 

H.  M.  EDWARD  VII.  (at  Buckingham  Palace,  at  Balmoral 
Castle,  etc.). 

LORD  ROBERTS  (at  various  places  in  South  Africa  and  in 
England). 

LORD  KITCHENER  (at  various  places  in  South  Africa  and 
in  England). 

Mr.  JOSEPH  CHAMBERLAIN  (in  London). 

H.  M.  NICHOLAS  II.  of  Russia  (at  St.  Petersburg  and 
Krasnoe  Selo). 

H.  M.  WILHELM  II.  of  Germany  (at  St.  Petersburg). 

HIS  HOLINESS  POPE  PIUS  X.  (blessing  pilgrims, 
preaching  to  the  people,  etc.). 

LI  HUNG  CHANG  (in  his  Yamen  at  Tientsin). 

MARQUIS  ITO  of  Japan  (at  Tokyo). 

Correspondence  is  invited. 


UNDERWOOD    STEREOSCOPIC   TOURS 

The  Underwood  Stereoscopic  Tours  are  put  up  in  neat  Volume 
Cases,  or  Underwood  Extension  Cabinets,  and  the  stereographed 
places  are  arranged  in  the  order  in  which  a  tourist  might  visit  the 
actual  scenes. 

Note  that  these  are  all  Original  Stereographs,  not  copies. 

Our  improved  Aluminum-Mahogany  Stereoscope  sells  for  90  cts. 
This  is  not  included  in  the  prices  given  below.  A  higher  priced 
stereoscope  can  be  furnished  if  desired. 

CHINA  TOUR — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book, 
358  pages,  in  cloth,  by  James  Ricalton,   eight  patent 

maps  and  case $17.75 

Boxer  Uprising  Tour— Cheefoo,  Taku,  Tientsin— (a 
part  of  the  China  Tour)— Giving  26  standpoints,  with 

guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and  case 4.50 

Hongkong  and  Canton  Tour  (a  part  of  the  China 
Tour) — Giving  15  standpoints  with  guide  book,   three 

patent  maps  and  case 2.70 

Pekin  Tour  (a  part  of  the  China  Tour)— Giving  32  stand- 
points, with  guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and  case. . . .     5.40 

EGYPT  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,      . 
62  pages,  in  cloth,  and  case 17.00 

GRAND    CANYON    OF   ARIZONA  TOUR.— Giving  18 

standpoints,  with  guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and  case    3.15 

ITALY  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book, 
602  pages,  in  cloth,  by  D.  J.  Ellison,  D.D.,  ten  patent 

maps,  and  case 18.00 

Rome  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Italy  Tour)— Giving  46  stand- 
points, with  guide  book,  310  pages,  in  cloth,  by  D.  J. 
Ellison,  D.D.,  five  patent  maps  and  case 8.60 

NIAGARA  FALLS  TOUR.— Giving  18  standpoints,  with 

guide  book,  two  patent  maps,  and  case 3.10 

PALESTINE  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide 
book,  195  pages,  in  cloth,  by  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut,  D.D., 

seven  patent  maps  and  case 17.60 

Jerusalem  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Palestine  Tour)— Giving 
27  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  patent  map  and  case..     4.60 

PARIS    EXPOSITION   TOUR.— Giving  60  standpoints, 

with  map,  brief  explanatory  comments,  and  case 10.00 

RUSSIA    TOUR.— Giving  100    standpoints,    with  guide 
book,  216  pages,  in  cloth,  by  M.  S.  Emery,  ten  patent 

maps  and  case 17. 75 

Moscow  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Russia  Tour)— Giving  27 
standpoints,   with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and 

case 4.60 

St.  Petersburg  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Russian  TourV- 
Giving  39  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  five  patent 
maps  and  case 6.60 


ST.  PIERRE  AND  MT.  PELEE  TOUR.— Giving  18 
standpoints,    with    guide    book,   by  George    Kennan, 

patent  maps  and  case $3. 15 

SWITZERLAND  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with 
guide  book,  274  pages,  in  cloth,  by  M.  S.  Emery,  eleven 
patent  maps  and  case 17.75 

Bernese  Alps  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving 
27  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps 
and  case 4.60 

Engadine  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour)-— Giving 
8  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  four  patent  maps  and 
case 1.50 

Lake  Lucerne  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour)— 
Giving  11  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  three  patent 
maps  and  case 2.05 

Mont  Blanc  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour)— 
Giving  23  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  two  patent 
maps  and  case 3.95 

Zermatt  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour)— Giving 
15  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and 
case 2.70 

TRIP  AROUND  THE  WORLD  TOUR.— Giving  72  stand- 
points, with  explanatory  notes  on  backs  of  stereographs, 
guide  book,  56  pages,  map  and  case 12.25 

UNITED  STATES  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with 
explanatory  notes  on  backs  of  stereographs,  guide  book, 
72  pages,  four  patent  maps  and  case 17.00 

WASHINGTON  TOUR Giving    36   standpoints  and  6 

standpoints  in  environs,  with  guide  book,  178  pages,  in 
cloth,  by  Rufus  Rockwell  Wilson,  four  patent  maps 
and  case 8.00 

YOSEMITE  VALLEY  TOUR.— Giving  24  standpoints, 
with  guide  book  by  Ghas.  Q.  Turner,  patent  map  and 
case 4.10 

PILGRIMAGE  TO  SEE  THE  HOLY  FATHER  TOUR. 

— Giving  26  standpoints,  with  explanatory  notes  on 
back  of  stereographs,  guide  book,  patent  map  and  case    4.45 

PRESIDENT  McKINLEY  TOUR  No.  5— Giving  60 
standpoints,  with  guide  book,  183  pages,  in  cloth,  and 
leatherette  case 10.50 

PRESIDENT  McKINLEY  TOUR  No.  5A— Giving  60 
standpoints,  with  guide  book,  183  pages,  in  cloth,  and 
genuine  leather  case,  velvet  lined,  inscription  in  silver.  12.00 

PRESIDENT  McKINLEY  TOUR  No.  4— Giving  48 
standpoints,  with  guide  book,  183  pages,  in  cloth,  and 
case 8.50 

PRESIDENT    McKINLEY   TOUR    No.    2.— Giving  24 

standpoints,  with  case 4.00 

PRESIDENT    McKINLEY   TOUR    No.    1— Giving    12 

standpoints,  with  case 2.10 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  TOUR.— Giving  36  stand- 
points, with  case 6.00 


••  The  Travel  or  Illuminated  Lessons  on  the  Life  of 
Jesus." — Giving  36  standpoints,  with  a  complete  hand- 
book, 204  pages  in  cloth,  by  William  Byron  Forbush, 
Ph.D.,  three  patent  maps  and  case $6.25 

♦•Travel  Lessons  on  the  Old  Testament."— Divided 
into  four  courses,  giving  51  standpoints  in  all.  A 
complete  handbook  by  Dr.  Forbush  is  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  printers  as  this  goes  to  press.  It  will  be  ready 
for  use  after  August  15th,  1904.  The  book  follows  the 
same  methods  as  the  course  on  the  Life  of  Jesus.  It  is 
complete  in  itself,  and  is  also  designed  for  use  with  all 
the  leading  Bible  Study  Courses.  Dr.  Forbush's  free 
descriptive  circular  on  either  the  Travel  Lessons  on 
the  Life  of  Jesus  or  the  Old  Testament  will  be  sent  on 
application. 

The  following  "Tours"  are  not,  as  yet,  provided  with  special 
maps  and  guide  books,  but  the  full,  descriptive  titles  given  to 
identify  each  outlook  will  be  found  of  great  practical  assistance 
in  studying  the  countries  in  question : 

AUSTRIA  TOUR.— Giving  84  standpoints,  with  case. . .  .$14.00 

BRITISH  BOER  WAR  TOUR.— Giving  72  standpoints, 

with  case 12.00 

CUBA  AND  PORTO  RICO  TOUR.— Giving  100  stand- 
points, with  case 16. 60 

ENGLAND  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case.. .  16.60 

FRANCE  TOUR.— Giving  72  standpoints,  with  case 12.00 

GERMANY  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case. .  16.60 

GREAT  BRITAIN  TOUR Giving  100  standpoints,  with 

case 16.60 

GREECE  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case 16.60 

INDIA  AND  CEYLON  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints, 

with  case 16.60 

INDIA  AND  CEYLON  TOUR  No.  2.— Giving  200  stand- 
points, with  case 33.20 

IRELAND  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case...  16.60 

JAPAN  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case 16.60 

JAPAN  TOUR  No.  2.— Giving  200  standpoints,  with  case  33.20 

MEXICO  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case 16.60 

PHILIPPINES  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case  16.60 
PORTUGAL  TOUR.— Giving  60  standpoints,  with  case..  10.00 

SCANDINAVIA  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,    with 

case 16.60 

SPAIN  TOUR.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case 16.60 

PRINCE  HENRY  TOUR.— Giving  24  standpoints,  with 

case 4.00 

«  SPANISH  BULL  FIGHT."— Giving  12  stereographs. .     2.00 


Other  interesting  and  instructive  tours  can  be  made  up  from 
the  large  collection  of  original  stereographs  always  in  stock,  or 
from  new  stereographs  which  are  constantly  being  added. 

We  advise  our  customers  to  purchase  complete  tours  on  the 
countries  they  may  be  interested  in.  One  hundred  stereographed 
places  of  one  "country  will  generally  give  much  better  satisfaction 
than  the  same  number  scattered  over  several  countries.  Many  of 
our  patrons  are  placing  all  of  our  educational  tours  in  their 
homes  alongside  of  the  standard  works  on  those  countries.  Schools 
and  public  libraries  are  turning  more  and  more  to  the  stereoscope 
to  put  their  students  and  readers  in  touch  with  the  actual  places 
of  which  they  are  studying.  The  United  States  Government  con- 
sidered them  so  valuable  that  all  educational  tours  published  to 
date,  with  the  new  Underwood  Extension  Cabinet,  were  purchased 
for  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point, 

When  two  or  more  of  the  "  100"  tours  are  wanted,  we  recom- 
mend the  "Underwood  Extension  Cabinet."  It  can  be  "built 
up"  from  time  to  time  as  desired,  holding  from  200  to  2,000 
stereographed  places,  or  more. 

UNDERWOOD    &    UNDERWOOD, 
Fifth  Avenue  and  19th  Street,  NEW  YORK. 

LONDON,  ENGLAND. 
BOMBAY,  INDIA. 
TORONTO,  CANADA. 
OTTAWA,  KANSAS. 
SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


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